Learn To Breathe
by AnimeFanGirl2223
Summary: Todoroki is the Prince of Endeavor, a human city located on a vast shoreline. Midoriya is the Prince of Yuuei, an underwater Mer city. Todoroki's ancestors swore to kill all Mer's, but when Midoriya happens to save his life, they decide to change the laws and resentment that keep them apart. #Super Bad at Summaries
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! The Merfolk AU train has finally reached AnimeFanGirl2223 station and is going to go full steam ahead! Thanks for reading. The first chapter starts a little slow but quickly picks up!**

*****Bold print in the text represents people talking in Mermaid language… so… yeah.**

**Also, I now have 2 jobs, so, FML but I'm going to do my best to post regularly for my ongoing stories.**

**I will post updates on when chapters will go out on my Twitter account! BUT my link keeps getting tagged as 'NoFollow' so, I apparently can't put the link on here? WTF. Anyway, if you can help me fix this, I'd appreciate it! If not, my Twitter is AGirl2223! Follow me and I'll follow you back!**

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Learn to Breathe

Chapter 1

Izuku knew better; He really did. Merfolk had much to fear despite how strong and intelligent they were. So, they had plenty of rules to protect their people from danger and death which were taught from the time they were born.

As such, Midoriya was thoroughly aware and respected that he wasn't supposed to go near shallow areas, surface around large structures humans called 'boats', or travel alone/without a weapon. However, the number one rule was to never go near a human.

They seemed simple enough to follow and logical if Midoriya thought about them. But he couldn't fully believe that humans were that bad. To him, they seemed like fragile creatures that probably needed protection if they happened to be in the vastness of the ocean.

He'd ventured into areas his mother had warned him about plenty of times and nothing terrible had happened. Really, he'd had more luck catching fish and avoiding predators in the shallows because he was small and fast.

So yes, Izuku really did know better than to go near the shore, especially one that showed signs of human habitation. But as he blissfully swam through the water, he started to hear the clatter of sounds that were unusual for the ocean, his curiosity peaking. He stayed below the surface until he was in a rocky area, knowing from experience that he could hide and dodge most attacks from between their rough edges.

This spot was particularly quiet, away from the sounds he'd come to understand came from 'ports' humans used. So, he was surprised when he found he wasn't alone. He peeked out from behind one of the large formations at the other present, certain that he hadn't been discovered yet.

Izuku's breath caught in his throat, taking in the site of a boy around his age with red and white-colored hair, heterochromatic eyes, pale skin, and a distinctly sad look on his face. His first thought was that whoever the child was, he was beautiful. His second thought was that he was human.

He watched with extreme interest as the boy hung his feet off of the ledge and gently kicked them in the sun-warmed water, fascinated by his obvious lack of a tail. This was the closest he'd ever been to one of their kind, and if he was honest, he wanted to be much closer.

Despite that desire, he held back, remembering the stories his mother, and many of the refugees had told him about how cruel and tricky humans were. But this boy, young and defeated looking, didn't seem like he was inherently evil.

Midoriya stayed to watch him a little longer, mentally noting the differences between the two of them, like how his fingers weren't webbed and there wasn't a single scale on his entire visible body. He didn't decide to stop innocently staring until a thunderous voice boomed through the air.

Izuku startled and instinctively hid farther behind his new favorite rock. He was shocked to see that the child simply sagged in misery before stiffening and looking back. He didn't know what the two were saying to each other but it was clearly a one-sided argument that ended with the younger being yanked up by his hair and dragged off by a harsh grip on his arm.

"**That was… odd…"** Midoriya mused to himself, deciding he'd probably stayed too long already. He couldn't get the ordeal out of his mind though, more specifically, the one he'd been watching.

The human's eyes were the most captivating and distracting thought he had as he swam back, his shimmering green tail flicking behind him gracefully. He wondered if the boy would be there again someday, but doubted it.

It made him a little sad to know that he probably wouldn't see that mysterious human again, and if he did it would be because one was trying to kill the other. "You watched him kick water for fifteen minutes! It's not like he even knew you were there… Jeez…"

Midoriya pushed his intrusive thoughts aside and swam away, deciding it would be best for him to look for someplace to take shelter for the night—a young Mer on its own was an ideal target for larger marine predators.

* * *

Shoto was the prized son of the ruler Enji Todoroki, the future heir to the throne of Endeavor. It was a large city that resided near an even more vast shoreline, rich from trade and delicacies. He knew everything there was to know about ruling, etiquette, and all other princely duties.

With a quick wit and an unhealthy amount of pushing from his father, he excelled in all the subjects he needed to learn about, including history. So, he was well aware of the war against the mysterious race of Merfolk that had once populated the seas.

He didn't agree with the genocide of an entire population but had always been taught that it was either his people's survival or theirs. According to the texts handed down through the generations, the fish-like creatures were excellent marine hunters that could easily stay fed in the open ocean but chose to steal all the fish near shores to starve humans. They hoarded all the precious gems and pearls that they found, hurting the seaside economy.

Mostly he read about how they were vicious animals that attacked without warning, dragging sailors and unsuspecting swimmers to their deaths for the thrill of killing larger prey. From research done on those unlucky enough to be caught, Shoto knew quite a bit about their anatomy as well.

Their upper halves were similar to humans, though they had webbed hands, sharp nails and teeth, scattered scales, and gills behind their ears. The lower half of them was a powerful, scale-covered tail that could easily break bone if they felt inclined to do so. In the water, they were extremely fast, able to outswim sharks if necessary.

What fascinated and secretly scared Todoroki the most though, was the reports with evidence of Merfolk growing legs if they became dry enough. Before the massive fallout between their two species, it wasn't unheard of for intermingling.

Sometimes when Shoto was much littler, he'd wonder if anyone around him was secretly a Mer spy, walking around on land to gather intel on them. He always discreetly checked people to see if they had any of the tell-tale signs, especially if they had to 'leave for business' often.

It wasn't until he'd gotten a little older that he realized how foolish that was. No one he knew had seen a Mer for years—since before he was born. That, of course, didn't stop his near-insane father from telling him that the war was still ongoing and that he had to be ready to finish what his forefathers had started.

Todoroki trained hard, ensuring that he could fight on land as well as in the water like all of their guards. The king had called him a natural at it, his athletic ability combined with intelligence making him lethal even if he was still very young.

But he hated the whole idea of being his father's greatest creation' and longed to simply be Shoto. He wanted to sit and watch the sunrise and set across the beautiful edge of the ocean, basking in the soft seawater breeze that would ruffle his hair and make him sigh in contentment.

He knew better than to want it and yet every time he could, he'd slip away and sneak off to more disserted parts of the shoreline, wishing he didn't have to fight a war against a species he'd never laid eyes on, rule a kingdom that thought he was cold and cruel like his father, or marry someone just because it would 'solidify relations' with various other kingdoms when he grew up.

* * *

**~ Time-Skip: (Both are 16)~**

Midoriya had too much on his mind to join his friends as he usually did after a long day of school and training. He'd had to sit through an entire lesson about the potentially many pods that were still scavenging around somewhere in the dark depths of the ocean, knowing full well what they were having to deal with.

Then he'd had to deal with Bakugo—the one who'd brought him to Yuuei—hounding him about how frequently he left the safety of their city. His life had become undeniably better since the blonde had quite literally dragged him there, but sometimes he really just wanted to be alone.

That's how he found himself swimming out into the open waters early the next morning, basking in the slow waves that occasionally passed through. Until he sensed it and froze. It should have been fuzzy, maybe even repressed. But the scent and vibrations that assaulted him were sharp and clear as day. The monster that had orphaned him years ago was there.

He concentrated hard on his surroundings, trying to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from before he dared to move. It was somewhere to his left along with what he now noticed was the creak of wood in water.

**"A boat!"** he hissed in his mind. **"They'll be killed!"**

No sooner had he thought about what was going to happen that the soft creaks turned violent, splintering sounds echoing around in his ears with terrible shrieks and the heavy scent of blood. His heart pounded, but his body moved on its own, taking him towards the chaos.

He wondered what in the hell he was trying to accomplish; the creature was massive, easily destroying the small craft. His tail swished quickly anyway, propelling him through the various debris and bodies that were being swept around by its violent movements. His heart fell as he realized that all the humans he touched were already gone.

Just as he was about to turn and head to safety as any reasonable person would, a red-white glint caught his eye.

"**THAT BOY!"** He panicked, quickly recognizing his distinctive hair despite how long it had been and everything going on. He darted forward when he saw the teen choking in the seawater, adrenaline fueling his actions as he swept him away from the destruction, hoping that his then unconscious form would be okay with just a little longer without air.

Midoriya surfaced a few hundred yards away, just long enough to give the teens unmoving chest a rough squeeze, expelling water from his lungs. Todoroki sputtered and coughed, jerking around as he gasped in air after such a long time.

He didn't register who, or what was holding onto him but didn't really care. His thoughts were garbled from fear, exhaustion, and an extended lack of oxygen. He quickly passed out again before opening his eyes.

* * *

Todoroki had been on a vessel several miles from shore when the attack had occurred, but as soon as consciousness started to creep its way back into his mind, he knew he was in the water and wondered how on Earth he'd survived.

The last thing he remembered was being thrown from the deck after an explosion-like gust of wind had hit him, sending him and everything around him barreling towards early morning blackened water. He'd hit something fairly hard if he had to guess from the sharp ache in his head.

But he also became aware of how quickly the water seemed to be moving past him, far too quickly for him to be drifting on a piece of spare wood. His eyes opened to see sunlight starting over a horizon and lifted his head slightly. The water slowed and he felt whatever was keeping him floating move, immediately setting him on the offensive.

Todoroki struck out, just barely missing the form that released him before it dove beneath the water and surfaced a few feet away. He started cursing loudly with shock and anger that one of 'them' had him. His limbs ached as he forced them to keep him treading, his eyes trained on the one who'd caught him.

Shoto could see green orbs hovering just above the choppy surface, watching him intently. He knew that he didn't stand a chance. They were still a good distance from shore, he was injured, and didn't have a weapon. With all of the information he'd absorbed from years of study, this Mer would overpower him within seconds.

Another wave of pain washed through his limbs as he weighed his options, stalling his near frantic movement enough to cause his head to go under with a panicked yelp. He had enough sense to keep his eyes open though, and soon saw the Mer circle him hesitantly, watching him struggle to get back to the air.

Todoroki flinched when the teen got near him and grabbed him firmly, fully believing he was about to get dragged to the crushing ocean floor. Instead, he was lifted up, the Mers' tail plenty strong enough to keep their buoyancy.

He coughed again, shaking his head free of as much water as he could. His breathing was labored, stamina thoroughly depleted after everything that had happened in the last few hours. But when his eyes met those curious green ones again, he lashed out, kneeing Midoriya solidly in the gut despite how his leg screamed in protest.

Izuku let out a grunt, dropping Shoto again as he clutched his stomach. With all the trouble this boy was causing he had half a mind to just leave him there if that's what he really wanted. But he knew he could never do that. Midoriya himself had attacked Bakugo when the angry blonde had saved him too; fear made everyone violent.

So, he waited for the boy's body to start giving out again and then helped him back up to breathe one more time, attempting a reassuring smile when there wasn't a subsequent attack. **"I'm sorry you're afraid" **he stated, **"I'm just trying to help… I promise!"**

Todoroki just looked at him though, obviously not understanding anything that had come from his mouth. To him, it sounded like more of a whistle than anything else, with clicks and other noises sprinkled in to irritate him.

His confusion and lack of patience must have shown because one of the arms released him to point in the direction of land. Midoriya swished his tail slightly, just strong enough to make them move forward as he turned his attention back towards Todoroki.

"**I'll take you towards land… Just… Stop trying to kill me, okay?"**

Todoroki wanted to snarl at him, wanted to repeat all the terrible things that he'd heard his father and so many other people say about their species at the top of his lungs. But he couldn't. From what he could tell, this odd Mer that seemed no older than himself was offering to swim him back to shore—I something he currently couldn't do on his own.

He grit his teeth and lowered his eyes, grinding out a 'fine' as he went limp. Shoto thought it was strange that the creature smiled at him happily, and seemed to nod, but shrugged it off. He figured it was just as likely that he'd be drowned once they were closer to shore, just to show him how weak he actually was.

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**Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**#WorkSucks**

**I have 2 jobs, so, posting for all my stories will be slow... BUT it will get done eventually!**

**Follow me on Twitter for updates! AGirl2223**

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Learn to Breathe

Chapter 2

Todoroki found himself holding onto the mysterious Mer's shoulders as he swam them towards the shoreline. He was anxious and frustrated, but it had been a few minutes and the creature hadn't tried to kill him yet. The morning's rays floated a little higher, causing some of the stray scales on his back to glimmer beautifully.

Even Shoto couldn't deny that it was tempting to touch one or trace the freckles that formed constellations on his skin. This fish person seemed to have more of them than most humans and he was supposed to live deep under the water away from the light that caused them.

His eyes then traveled to the boy's neck, examining the gills whenever his blackish-green hair moved enough for them to become visible. The odd-looking flaps would flutter sometimes if water got near them, supplying extra air to his lungs he supposed. Shoto idly wondered how the seashell necklace the teen was wearing didn't irritate them.

Todoroki was so caught up in examining the creature that he didn't realize how close they'd gotten to shore until a rock passed by them. Another pit of dread filled his stomach as he realized where he'd been taken. This place was supposed to be his sanctuary from Endeavor and it might be where he'd be murdered.

But his savior just slipped through the rocks, gliding in a delicate pattern until they were near the ledge he often came and sat on. The water lapped just over the top of it with high tide, making it easy for the deceptively strong creature to haul him up onto it.

Shoto curled up on his side, breathing slightly easier knowing that he wasn't still in an element where he didn't have the advantage. He blinked a few times when the boy didn't leave though, unsure of whether he'd spontaneously be dragged back in.

Midoriya had his arms crossed on the rocks, his chin resting on them lazily as he examined the still exhausted human. He tilted his head and blinked back, equally as unsure of what to do, but infinitely more excited to be in the other's presence.

They stayed that way, staring at each other for some time. But eventually, Midoriya couldn't stand it any longer, and gave in to his curiosity, shifting his hand to touch Todoroki gently.

Shoto flinched back, immediately regretting it when more pain wracked his body, making him hiss and close his eyes. When they reopened, the first thing he saw was concern in Midoriya's forest green orbs, a sight he wasn't used to seeing from anyone, much less something that he'd always thought was a bloodthirsty animal.

"**Can you walk?"** Izuku asked, starting to worry about what would happen if he left him there alone. The boy didn't answer, of course, unable to understand the intricate language of Merfolk. But he really didn't need to, Midoriya knew what bruised and broken bones looked like.

He bit his bottom lip nervously, averting his eyes while he thought. It was summer so it would soon be scalding hot outside, and as far as he knew, humans, like every other creature, needed water, food, and their wounds to be set.

Izuku huffed to himself before heaving himself up as well, settling on his back with just the end of his tail resting in the ocean.

"**I can't really do much else to help you, but I'll stay to make sure nothing else happens until I hear someone coming this way. Wouldn't want to get caught here, you know? You humans apparently hate my kind, but I don't really understand why… My name's Izuku by the way, Izuku Midoriya… Everyone calls me Deku though, so you can too if you want! What's your name? Oh right… you can't understand me… Sorry…"**

Todoroki watched wordlessly as his companion kept blabbing in an odd language he couldn't even begin to fathom. This thing was not like the books had said it would be… it wasn't even acting like an 'it' but more like a 'he' and was being far more kind than most of the humans he'd come to know.

He was too tired and hurt to do much else than just lay there though, so he didn't think about it too hard. Shoto just hoped the creature wouldn't spontaneously go feral in the meantime.

* * *

Shoto had stayed curled up on his side for nearly an hour, listening to the loudmouthed Mer whistle about one thing or another. He told himself he should be annoyed, or at the very least suspicious, but found that the near-constant sound became oddly comforting.

His eyes flickered between the shoreline and the teen, examining him as much as possible without being obvious. He had so many questions, the most prominent being 'why did you save me?' quickly followed by 'why are you still here?'.

He glanced back over when the steady stream of word vomit stopped, slightly disappointed that it was no longer distracting him from the growing pain in his fractured left leg or completely broken right arm. To his surprise, Midoriya had sat up and was looking right at him almost shyly, gesturing to his face.

He didn't understand at first but soon realized that his slightly webbed hand was heading straight for the scar over his eye and jerked away, forcing himself into a seated position. He grit back the ache in his bones with a deep scowl. "Don't touch me, stupid animal!" he shouted.

Izuku gave a guilty, yet still sheepish smile and waved his arms in apology. But then gestured to himself, pointing at the scars that lined his entire arm and hand. **"It's okay… I have them too! But mine aren't red like yours is… I asked to touch first but you weren't responding… probably because you don't understand, sorry... Here, you can touch mine if you want!"**

Midoriya held his arm out for Shoto so that he could trace the scars if he wanted to. He pointed again, nodding his head as confirmation that it was okay. He watched the suspicion in Todoroki's eyes shift to confusion, and finally to a suppressed curiosity, keeping still so he wouldn't scare him off.

Shoto found himself grasping the limb despite how his mind told him not to, tracing the smooth, raised lines that crossed over equally soft skin. He'd imagined that Merfolk would feel slimy like fish once they got out of the water and was pleased to find that they weren't. Eventually, he realized that he'd been indulging himself far too long and retracted his fingers, waiting for Midoriya to reach out and try for his face again.

But the boy just grinned happily and went back to chatting in his native tongue, laying back on the warm rocks so that he could watch the clouds. He'd look over at Shoto every once in a while as if waiting for a reply before flushing in embarrassment and continuing on.

"Do you ever stop talking?" Todoroki asked, interrupting a particularly long-winded explanation of something. As cold as it came out, he didn't actually mean it in a bad way. The stream of babbled whistles and clicks was soothing, especially since no one had ever been comfortable enough around him to stay this long.

Midoriya turned his head so he could see the other boy, another dopy grin on his face like he'd accomplished something spectacular. **"You talked! Good… I was starting to think you were in too much pain or something. Gah! Speaking of pain… You're probably still in a lot, aren't you? We've been sitting here for over an hour now and I haven't heard anyone come near. Actually, I should probably take you somewhere else, right? If no one comes this way you could die of whatever humans die from and I'd have to leave you here… Come on! Let's do this!"**

Todoroki blinked in confusion at the sudden determination on his companion's face, tensing heavily when those muscled arms wrapped around him again. He immediately began fighting when Midoriya edged closer to the water, believing that what he'd said had probably been the tipping point for getting him killed.

"**Hey! Calm down! I'm just taking you a little closer to your own kind… That's all I swear! You're really strong you know that? Jeez… Okay, hold your breath!"**

Todoroki let out another panicked yelp as he finally lost the battle and fell into the water, sputtering when he was hauled back to the surface with an irritating amount of ease.

Izuku waited patiently for him to calm down, accepting the scowl he received with grace and understanding. He pointed in either direction, hoping that the injured human would eventually understand what he was getting at.

When he didn't get any indication that Todoroki understood, he decided himself, dragging the resigned yet still stiff form alongside him to where the louder port sounds were coming from. It wasn't until they were starting to come into sight that he felt him begin to relax in his grip.

Izuku stopped a ways away and held them both vertical in the water, making sure to get Todoroki's eye contact. **"I need you to hold your breath for real this time so I can get us in close without being seen. Okay? **"He opened his mouth wide and sucked in air, letting his slightly baby fat covered cheeks swell.

Shoto seemed to get the idea and with a suspicious glare, he filled his lungs as much as possible, closing his eyes as he was pulled under the surface. He could feel the water rushing past them, too fast for him to open his lids without hurting his eyes, unlike Merfolk.

His chest ached for oxygen by the time his savior breached, realizing they were below one of the large wooden dock areas. He searched those green orbs for some reason or explanation for how he'd been treated, but there were only longing and kindness as answers.

Izuku helped him grab on to one of the great support beams, biting his lower lip for a moment. He hesitantly leaned forward and pressed his forehead to Todoroki's, **"It was nice meeting you for real this time… even if I still don't know your name and we can't actually talk… I… I should probably go before I get caught… Bye…"**

And with that, he dipped back down below the surface, a rush of water knocking into Shoto to let him know that he'd swam away with great haste. Todoroki stayed still for several minutes, unconsciously touching where the odd Mer's head had been against his. The voices of dock workers were clear above him, so all he had to do was call out for help at this point.

"What the fuck happened today?" he whispered to himself.

* * *

**~Time-Skip: 2 Months~**

Shoto had spent the better part of his recovery period studying up on Merfolk, being sure to hide it from anyone that could report the sudden interest to his father. The people around him said it was a miracle he survived the attack and swam all the way back to shore with his injuries.

In a way, he had to agree. That strange creature had been a miracle all right; he would have surely died without his unwarranted intervention. But Todoroki knew better than to tell anyone about what had really happened.

His thoughts were plagued by the almost ethereal face and shimmering green scales of his savior, his usually focused demeanor shifting in favor of daydreaming about the strange creature. It seemed surreal to him, that such a dangerous beast— according to the historical texts— had been capable of such selflessness.

The boy had even realized that no one bothered to come to that secluded cove and risked being caught to get him closer to human civilization. He'd never had anyone take that great of an interest in his wellbeing unless they were heavily paid for it by his father's blood money.

Todoroki had gone back to his special area a few times since that fateful day, taking his study books with him so that he could attempt to learn the complex language through sheer willpower and fumbling attempts at making the foreign sounds without being overheard.

Today was one of those times. It was much cooler now even though their island was tropical, and he rested comfortably on the sandy beach under the overcast sky. He tried to force a specific whistle across his uncooperative tongue, grumbling to himself when it didn't come out correctly… again.

Just as he was about to slam the book shut and stretch, something small and solid knocked into his head. He glanced around, ready to imprison whoever had been stupid enough to throw something at him when his eyes caught sight of glistening green and freckles.

Todoroki scrambled to his feet, his heart thumping in his chest when the figure waved to him shyly. Forgetting all prior warnings to stay out of the water around Merfolk, he found himself wading into the shallows until the waves reached his mid-chest.

"You came back?" he asked, his voice unsure and quiet.

The Mer tilted his head and got near him, his eyes just barely out of the water. He hesitantly braced himself using Todoroki's shoulders and pulled himself up, pressing their foreheads together as he had before leaving the last time.

"I… name… a… uh… I-Izuku?" the Mer tried as he backed away, his native language replaced by extremely broken human tongue. He pointed to himself and repeated 'Izuku' again. "You is…?" he then gestured to Shoto, a hopeful look in his eyes.

Todoroki was shocked, to say the least. It looked like they'd both had the same idea of attempting to learn each other's language, though the Mer seemed to be a bit better at it. He nodded, pointing to himself "Shoto", and then at Midoriya "Izuku".

Izuku practically squealed in excitement and swam around, his tale shimmering in the clear water. "Sh… Shoto" he chirped, giggling even more when the teen nodded a yes. **"This is so cool! I can't believe we're actually talking to each other! Can we be friends? I really want to be friends! Oh! Right… I need to slow down… Breathe, Izuku, breathe… haaa… okay!"**

Todoroki was mildly overwhelmed by the sudden outburst and happiness of the Mer, watching with hidden amusement as he did little rolls in the water around him. He'd never met anyone quite so carefree before, especially when they hadn't gotten off to the best start.

But they'd made progress by learning what to call each other, and even though he knew it was a terrible idea in the back of his mind, he longed for someone he could just be Shoto with. Izuku didn't know about his status and made him feel normal for once.

Deciding that he didn't want to leave them meeting up to chance, he started heading back to the shore, only giving what he hoped was an appeasing motion with his hands when Deku started whining behind him. He needed his book so he could try to set another time for them to meet.

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**Thanks for reading another update! :) Let me know what you thought!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A lot of my fanfiction files were lost (full details are on my Twitter Agirl2223) so I'm working on rewriting a bunch of shit *including this story and Call Me... Deku***

**Thank you for your patience and support!**

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 3

Todoroki had met with Midoriya several times since he'd happened to see him at his special cove again. Each time they'd tried to communicate for a while before Todoroki would settle in the shallow water and let Deku bring him shells and other ocean items to look at.

But learning a new language that was meant for underwater creatures was harder than he'd ever imagined. He'd need more than just a weekly brush up with Izuku if he wanted to actually become fluent, and Shoto really wanted to so that he could understand what the carefree Mer always mumbled about—so that he could properly thank him for saving his life… in more ways than one.

For once, luck seemed to be on his side. Not long before his ship had been destroyed, he'd heard palace guards talking about a boy brought in that showed signs of being something other than strictly human. Apparently, that had been his only crime.

Shoto snuck down into the dungeons to see if the rumors were true, slipping by the underpaid and disinterested guards until he found the cell. "Are you Eijiro Kirishima?" he whispered.

There was movement in the darkness, followed by chains rattling. Eventually, a redheaded teen stepped into the torchlit area and nodded, keeping his eyes down and averted from the person he knew to be the youngest Prince of Endeavor.

Todoroki leaned forward more, glancing around to make sure no one had taken notice of them. "Are the rumors true? Is there really Mer in your lineage?"

The teen seemed to hesitate for a moment, but eventually, he nodded again, his arms braced in front of him as if he'd be struck for being truthful. From what Todoroki could see, he probably had been beaten a few times already.

"If I help you get out of here, you serve me, do you understand? You'll do whatever I tell you to without question or hesitation. Do you accept?" Todoroki continued, barely able to keep the hope and excitement out of his voice. He waited impatiently for Kirishima to respond, resisting the urge to tap his foot.

"I… My life is yours, Prince Todoroki…" Eijiro agreed, though he'd yet to raise his head up.

"Guards!" Shoto snapped, making both the captive and the now flustered men flinch. "By my order, this boy is to be let free. You will tell no one about it under penalty of death."

The two scrambled to obey, unlocking the door and cuffs that kept Kirishima restrained before shuffling away in fear of the young heir.

"Come," Shoto ordered, leading the dirt, grime, and blood-covered boy out of the dungeons. He took him straight to his room, telling maids and other servants to get his new attendant cleaned and dressed before bringing him back.

It was a long shot, he knew, for Kirishima to be of much help. According to the arrest records, neither of his parents exhibited any signs of being anything other than human, so his connection to Merfolk was grandparents at best.

Still, he might have better luck with some of the pronunciations or at the very least be a close confidant that could practice conversing with Shoto. Languages were always more easily learned that way.

After what felt like an eternity, Eijiro was brought back into the room. He bowed deeply to Todoroki before standing up straight for the first time since they'd met. It then became obvious how he'd been discovered; he had sharper teeth than even Deku had, and blood-red eyes.

"So, how far back in your family history was the… crossover… with Merfolk?" Shoto asked, getting straight to the point.

"Uh… My grandfather was one of 'em… I can't… I err… My mother didn't show any signs but I got the eyes and teeth I guess… But I don't turn into one of 'em if that's what you want… I got gills though…" Kirishima answered, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Interesting... So, you can breathe underwater then? Were you taught any of their language by chance?"

Eijiro nodded slightly, tension still in his shoulders as he kept his gaze away from the Prince. It was an understandable reaction, seeing as he'd been pretty well hidden away or kept within small circles for the majority of his life. The first and only other time he'd been asked questions like this had been the day he was arrested for treason.

"Excellent. You will teach me what you know and communicate in my place when I instruct you to. Furthermore, you will tell no one what I've ordered you to do. You owe me your life and you will pay with it if you even think of betraying me, Kirishima." Todoroki stated, his voice as cold as ice.

Eijiro let out a nervous breath, not understanding in the slightest what was happening. The only reason he could think of was that the Prince was continuing with his father's deranged desire for genocide and wanted to learn more about the 'enemy'.

Kirishima didn't like it, but he wasn't going to upset one of Endeavors' princes, especially not the one that was said to be most like the Hellfire King himself. That bastard of a man had attacked half a dozen other cities, burning them to the ground without mercy for any caught in the blaze so that they could be absorbed into his kingdom.

"Uh… Sure thing Prince… I'll do my best." He finally responded. He stood awkwardly for several minutes as silence overtook them before a loud growl erupted from his stomach. Kirishima paled and gripped his torso to try and quiet it.

Todoroki eyed him for a moment, taking in his appearance. He could tell from the looseness of his new clothes that he hadn't been fed consistently, and his cheek was off-color from a still deep bruise. The only reason he'd been kept alive this long was that he wasn't considered an adult and therefore his execution had been put on hold until he turned eighteen.

Shoto stood from where he sat at his desk and swept past his newest servant to the grand wood doors of his room, barking an order for food to be brought in. "Eat first then you can settle into the servants quarters attached to my room. We have somewhere to be early tomorrow morning."

* * *

Kirishima followed the prince through the secret paths as quietly as possible, eyeing his back with curiosity and apprehension. Right before they'd left the castle, he'd been instructed to only refer to his master as Shoto or really anything other than his title and last name.

He reasoned it was probably so that they could go wherever it was they were headed without being recognized, not that it would really help. The prince's appearance was a dead giveaway and he wasn't going to fare much better with his teeth and eyes so obviously unnatural.

But he'd do whatever Todoroki wanted because he'd saved him from that godforsaken dungeon and so far taken good care of him. He even had his own room since no one else could stand to be around the young Prince for more than a few months.

"We're here; remember what I told you about using my family name or title and try to keep your reaction under control," Shoto stated. "Wait for me to call you."

Kirishima nodded and did as he was told, waiting patiently for his next instructions. Soon though, he saw a small shadow swimming closer to where the Prince had waded into the water. He bit his tongue to keep himself from calling out, praying that he wasn't letting his master fall prey to a bull shark.

"Shoto!" the figure exclaimed, popping up like a peppy dolphin.

The two touched foreheads for a few seconds before Todoroki turned around and pointed at him, saying 'Kirishima' slowly, his voice enunciating each syllable with care. Midoriya stuttered over the name a couple of times, and swam a little closer, eyeing him over the water's edge.

"Uhhh…" Eijiro mumbled, looking between Todoroki and the Mer frantically as he entered the ocean. It finally made sense why the prince had rescued him from the dungeons, but now he had so many more questions that he wanted answers to.

"You said you knew some of their language. See if you can converse with it… its name is Izuku." Shoto ordered, though his voice was much softer than he'd heard it in the whole day he'd served under him.

"**My name is Kirishima. Can you understand me?"**

"**You speak Mer? Ah! This is so cool! Your legs aren't transforming into a tail so I guess you aren't full-blooded but I can see you have some of our kinds blood in you! How do you know Shoto? Are you two friends? Can you talk to him for me? It's really hard to understand human tongue… It sounds so weird you know? Gah… sorry! Word vomit!"** Midoriya responded happily, taking a moment to press his forehead against Kirishima's as he had with Todoroki.

Eijiro took a deep breath to calm himself, wracking his brain to translate the quickly spoken paragraph and remember everything his mother had told him about Merfolk etiquette. He held still during their greeting, knowing that the gentle headbutt was their way of saying hello and goodbye.

"He talks a lot and some of it's a bit hard for me to understand…" Kirishima explained to Shoto, giving a nervous grin. "But I think we can talk to each other pretty good. What'd'ya want me to ask 'em?"

"Tell it that you're going to be helping each of us learn to communicate, and answer anything it wants to know unless it has to do with my family… I think it should be obvious enough why with what he is and what's eventually expected of me." Todoroki responded.

"Uhh… right bro... got it! Okay… umm… **I'm here to help you two learn each other's languages since I'm okay with both."**

Midoriya grinned widely and shimmied his tail, moving back towards Todoroki. **"Can we swim while we learn? There are some really cool reefs near here I could show you!"**

After translating, Kirishima was surprised to see how soft the prince's face became, and even more to see him agree. Maybe there was more to his behavior than just frigid anger. He hoped that Todoroki would tell him how this unusual friendship had come about.

* * *

Todoroki sat beside Eijiro at his desk, fighting the urge to simply throw his hands up in defeat; the redhead certainly wasn't dumb, but, academics were not his strong suit. They'd been working for hours on basic reading skills already and there wasn't much progress being made.

"Again Kirishima," he sighed, tapping the page harshly. "I won't have an illiterate servant."

The redhead scrunched his eyebrows together, staring at the words with intense concentration even though it didn't seem to be helping him much. He'd come from a poor village, born into the lowest class; there simply hadn't been anyone to teach him until now.

He stumbled over another sentence, recognizing some words that he hadn't before though still struggling to remember most of them. "I… I'm so sorry, Prince…" he whimpered, tears already brimming in his eyes. "Please don't send me back to the dungeon. I'm gonna get it, promise!"

Todoroki sighed heavily again, rubbing his tired eyes and aching head. "I'm not going to re-imprison you, Kirishima. I just meant that you will have to learn to read and write eventually."

What he didn't say was that it bothered him greatly that everyone—including the redhead—seemed to fear him and what he might do should he be angered. Even if half of him looked almost exactly like his father, he didn't want to emulate the vile man at all.

Eijiro sniffed and nodded, the leather-bound book squeezed tightly in his hands. He took a deep breath and tried again, repeating the same paragraph that had been halting his progress all morning. Just as he was about to ask Shoto to help him with a particularly long word, the door slammed open, startling both of them.

"Shoto!" his father boomed, stomping across the room in large, angry strides. "What is this beast doing out of its cell?"

Kirishima scrambled out of his chair to his knees, cowering before the King as he shook with fear. His eyes were tightly shut, tears slipping through completely now as he held himself low and unthreateningly.

"He's my new servant, father," Todoroki stated coolly, though he also had tense posture.

The man growled and kicked at Eijiro, knocking him to his side where he remained curled and shaking in terror, whimpering in pain. "This bastard creature has no place in my castle aside from the dungeon! If you've gotten rid of yet another servant then you should have found one more suitable!"

"It's valuable to me… It speaks Mer and can breathe underwater." He responded, gesturing to the redhead.

Enji roared in anger, the sound so frightening that even Shoto and his father's guards flinched back. He reached down and yanked his son up by his collar, eyeing him with enraged turquoise eyes. "What use is that filthy language to you, my perfect creation?"

The youngest Todoroki didn't break eye contact even though he desperately wanted to gulp and look away. Instead, he kept his resolve firm, straightening his shoulders with pride. "I'm going to use him to speak with the Mer's should one ever be found. With his help we can convince them that our vendetta has ended and then when they least expect it, crush them."

The fury in his father's face began evaporating into a crazed smile, his smirk making Shoto want to hiss in disgust. Enji released him, laughing darkly. "And here I thought you'd turned against me, son. Very well… you may keep the halfbreed for now. Just so that it always knows its place."

"If you noticed, it was crying when you came in…"

The man laughed again, sending another rough kick into Kirishima's shin so that he could hear the boy yelp in pain once more. "Filthy mutt…" he chuckled, swishing his cape as he turned to leave.

Both Kirishima and Shoto stayed where they were until Enji's pounding stride was out of earshot, the only sound in the room being the redhead's whimpers. Todoroki sat back down in his chair, letting out a shuddering breath.

"Get up, Kirishima…" he ordered gently, turning so that he could face the boy.

The redhead kept crying, but slowly forced himself to stand and hobble back into his own seat, settling himself down gingerly. He flinched when Shoto reached out to touch him, gritting his teeth against what he assumed would be another harsh blow.

"I'm not going to hurt you..." Todoroki assured softly, "I just need to see if anything is broken so it can be set…"

He moved more slowly this time, grasping Eijiro's discolored arm and examining it slowly. He moved to the boy's leg next, clicking his tongue at the deep bruising there. "Did my father manage to hit you in the ribs? Or were you able to block most of the impact? Take off your shirt so that I can see."

Kirishima hiccupped and lifted his shirt, exposing his frail, malnourished torso. There were bruises littered everywhere there as well, but also gashes from being whipped. Shoto ground his teeth together in anger, glaring at the damage.

"Why were these not tended to yesterday?" he seethed, flickering his gaze up to where Eijiro was desperately looking away.

"I'ma m-mutt…" was his only response, the degrading name falling from his lips with sadness.

Shoto huffed and got to his feet, taking Kirishima's hand as he dragged him along. "I have a bunch of medical supplies over in these drawers from when I'm injured during training. While I don't intend to harm you, should you ever need something you are free to use whatever is here. Now, hold still… We need to put something on these cuts before they get infected."

Eijiro whimpered out a 'thank you', removing his shirt and pants so that Todoroki could help him with his injuries. He kept his eyes down but wanted to look at the Prince… he wanted to know which part of him was real. Was he actually friends with Izuku or was he doing as he'd told his father and preparing to finish the genocide that had started so long ago?

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**Thank you to everyone who has commented! :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Ahh... I hate work; I'd much rather be writing my smutty, BS stories than anything else but I'm either turning into a grease ball in front of fryers, trying to keep up with housework/take care of my grandma or dead to the world drooling into a pillow now. **

**#ReWriting everything SUCKS.**

**But it's worth it when I get to read ya'lls beautifully comments :)**

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 4

_**~Time-Skip: 6 Months (They're all still 16)~**_

Eijiro followed the Prince down to their cove as he had at least once a week since being saved, examining his movements. A few days prior, Todoroki had been summoned for a sparring match with his father to check his progress in combat. Though he'd done well according to most everyone, Enji had not been impressed and used his superior size to toss his son across the room.

Although Shoto hadn't breathed a word about it, Eijiro had seen the large bruise on his lower back that had come from his crashing into the weapons rack; it had to be painful. "Uh… Prin—Shoto… are you sure you're up for this today?" he finally asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Todoroki responded, glancing over his shoulder at the concerned redhead.

"Well… uhh… I didn't wanna say nothin—"

"What have I told you about grammar, Kirishima?" Shoto interrupted.

"Oh. Right… Er… I didn't want to say anything, but, you've been limping for a few days now and I'm not sure that tumbling around in the water with Izuku is good for you." Eijiro stated, his face twisted as he tried to remember how 'proper' language went.

"There really isn't any need for you to worry about me; I have access to the best doctors in the Kingdom and will be just fine."

Kirishima quieted down and continued trailing after the stubborn Prince until they'd reached the shore, finding Deku already swimming back and forth impatiently in the shallows. "Shoto! Kirishima!" he cheered, twirling around happily.

Todoroki smiled softly, stripping himself down to his boxers this time after having one too many close calls going back home with salt hardened clothing. He stepped in, making it about to his hips before Izuku was hugging him, squeezing him tightly with one arm.

The Prince winced, his back throbbing deep in the vertebrae. Deku immediately let go and backed up, staring up at him worriedly. "Shoto?" he whispered, **"I hurt you?"**

Todoroki shook his head, knowing what the boy was saying even if he didn't completely understand the foreign whistling. He turned so that Midoriya could see the prior injury. "I'm okay… it's just sore for now. My father was teaching me self defense and… got a little rough…"

Izuku's green eyes were filled with concern, but his nose was scrunched in confusion. Kirishima was quick to explain, making sure he kept his translation as close to Todoroki's as possible to avoid letting any sensitive information slip. Fortunately, it seemed like Midoriya was content with the explanation.

He settled his tail on the ocean floor and stood up as straight as he could, revealing his own injured arm to the two. **"I guess we'll both have to take it easy today! A great white came near my home and it was really fast! I'm lucky it only grazed me before I scared it away!"**

Todoroki listened to Eijiro carefully, finding the long gash that ran up the boy's arm looking a little worse than a 'grazing'. It wasn't stitched together either, the skin soggy and red as it formed the best protective covering it could while constantly submerged in water.

"Ask Izuku if he wants to sit and practice speaking more in the shallows today… He was telling us last time that he wanted to look at the shells near the shore, right?"

Midoriya beamed when Kirishima finished translating, nodding his head quickly. He reached out a hand to grasp one of Todoroki's, smiling even more brightly when the boy's fingers curled around his own and began pulling him along.

Eijiro watched after them, giving them a little space while still remaining close enough to help them converse if necessary. It didn't look at all like the Prince was just using Izuku… In fact, it seemed more likely that he had lied to the King.

As his aid, Kirishima spent more time with Shoto than anyone else. He now knew what irritated him and what he could tolerate. He knew his favorite foods and how he woke up painfully early each day just to sit and watch the sun rise over the ocean. But in all the hours he'd spent assisting the Prince or just being near him, he'd never seen him look so serene and even happy as when Midoriya was around.

* * *

Midoriya made it back to Yuuei a few hours before the sun set and slightly darkened the ocean floor, his head still up in the clouds from spending the morning with Shoto.

His arm throbbed painfully, reminding him that he'd probably overdone it even if he and the Prince hadn't actually done all that much. He slipped by some of the actually vigilant guards successfully, having found out early the best ways to sneak around.

Unfortunately, once he was inside the city he couldn't exactly continue being cautious without arousing even more suspicion than his frequent absences. As he swam through the beautiful coral and sea plant homes to his own, he heard a familiar growl.

"Deku!" Bakugo shouted, his voice making the boy flinch slightly. "What the fuck did I tell you this morning?"

Izuku hunched into himself slightly but ultimately looked around as the blonde exited his little cave. He sighed internally, somewhat wishing that he hadn't gone and picked a spot so close to the temperamental Mer; he couldn't get away with anything.

"Hey, Kacchan…" he called meekly. "I didn't use it too much, I swear!"

The blonde 'tsked' at him hotly, immediately swimming up to Izuku and grabbing his injured arm. "I could hear you panting in pain, dip shit. I know you irritated it today! What the fuck was so important that you had to go off on your own again?"

Midoriya attempted to pull his limb away but only succeeded in getting Bakugo to squeeze more tightly. Another sharp pain tore through the muscle and he whimpered, deciding it was best just to give in. "It's none of your business… but… maybe you could—"

"Yeah, yeah… fucking useless Deku. Go lay down and I'll make you some of the medicine. Honestly… how a little squishy fish like you ever impressed people so much I'll never fucking understand." Bakugo snapped, muttering to himself as he went home.

Izuku might have chuckled if he wasn't in so much pain. He was just lucky that Katsuki hadn't harassed him more about his whereabouts during the day as he usually would.

By the time he'd swam to the brightly colored coral home that he and his friends had built for him, the blonde was back and still scowling. Midoriya settled himself down on moss-covered rock he slept on, biting his lip in preparation for the medicine.

"Here," Katsuki grunted, holding out a seaweed ball that contained a mixture of other shredded plants. "And fucking chew it all this time; I don't give a damn if it's bitter. You start choking again and I won't help you."

Izuku smiled sheepishly and took the offering, grimacing as he chewed. Although he never thought he'd get used to how awful it was, the blonde had a special skill with making medicine; he could already feel the throbbing subsiding some. "Thank you, Kacchan!"

"Tsk. Whatever, Deku. How about you stop picking fights with creatures three times your fucking size so you actually make it to being king?"

Midoriya swallowed the disgusting ball, scrunching his nose with indignation. "I didn't go after it, Kacchan!" he insisted. "It was going after Eri and I was the only one around to help!"

Bakugo got in Izuku's face, red eyes gleaming with a mixture of smugness and irritation. "If you'd had your guard around you, then you wouldn't have almost become shark bait."

Midoriya groaned in annoyance and fell backward, quickly rolling to his uninjured side so that he could turn away from Katsuki. After coming to Yuuie, he'd quickly become a favorite among his peers and those older than he was, earning a reputation for his intelligence, compassion, morality, and fighting skills.

Just before he turned fifteen their King, Toshinori Yagi, who went by the moniker 'All Might' for his considerable power, had declared him their next heir. Since then he'd been training hard to be good enough to fill the void that All Might's eventual death would leave.

But he'd yet to pick out the Mer's that would become his personal guard, protecting him from harm so that he could rule over their people. He simply didn't want anyone risking their life for his… and also it would be much harder to visit Shoto with someone constantly around him.

"I haven't decided yet, Kacchan…" he whined. "I don't see why you're interested in one of the positions anyway… You always act like you hate me."

"Ah? It's been months since you were chosen. Get your fucking act together! And don't move that fucking arm at all. If I come over here in the morning and you aren't in that exact spot I'll fucking tear it off, you got that?"

Midoriya blew bubbles out of his nose but nodded. Even if Bakugo was volatile and generally unpleasant to be around most of the time, he meant well and showed that he cared in his own gruff way… Apparently, being an ass just came naturally.

As the blonde grumbled and left, Izuku sighed and closed his eyes, picturing Shoto's smiling face from earlier that day. He couldn't wait to go see him once more.

* * *

**~Time-Skip: 6 Months (They're all 17 now)~**** *** Communication will be in Mer, but not bolded this time unless Todoroki doesn't understand*****

Todoroki waded into the warm water, nudging his feet through the sand as he looked for shells. He knew Izuku really liked them, especially ones that came from the shallows since he couldn't come into those areas very often.

Kirishima was with him today like always, but he stayed up on the shore since he could communicate fairly well on his own now. Todoroki felt a little guilty, seeing as Izuku was the only person that treated Kirishima as completely normal, but wanted to be selfish, and Eijiro swore he didn't mind.

Over the past year, he'd learned to see Midoriya as a 'he' rather than an 'it'. But more than that, he'd started having butterflies flutter around his gut every time the young Mer so much as looked in his direction. His laugh was contagious, smile more warming than the roaring fires back at his palace; Shoto craved his presence in the best way and everything the teen did seemed to make his pinning worse.

While he admittedly knew very little about relationships of any kind, he had enough self-awareness to know that he was falling for the young Mer. But he didn't have the confidence to say anything. Deku was sunshine incarnate, warm, full of happiness, and inherently kind. Shoto knew that people often referred to him as 'The Ice Prince' or 'HellFire Junior'.

It wasn't long before Midoriya swam up to him and nudged his forehead, grinning widely. "Hey, Shoto! How are you today?"

"I'm fine. I found these for you; shells from all around the shoreline, you said you liked them, right?" Todoroki responded, daring a little smile of his own.

Midoriya blushed heavily and held out his hand to take the small pouch, fingering a few of the small, colorful shells before tying it to the belt at his waist. "Thank you, Shoto… I… I love them."

Todoroki took a moment to really look at Izuku like it was his first time seeing him all over again. He'd had a growth spurt, they both had, but the Mer was still shorter than him, muscled from his near-constant swimming, and as always, covered in freckles.

He also had far more scars on his arms, chest, and back than he'd had just a year before, but Shoto didn't mind, he had some too from weapons training. Observing him now, the only thing that had stayed entirely the same about his best friend were those large green eyes that were ever kind and captivating. "Come on… let's swim around for a bit. You always have so much energy."

The two played some of their usual games, swimming around each other and splashing in the water. But soon Todoroki noticed Midoriya's eyes darting around every so often with almost apprehension. "Is there something wrong?" he finally asked, hiding the worry that threatened to leak into his voice.

"Oh! No, it's… nothing… really. I just thought I heard something..." He answered.

Shoto could see the tension in Izuku's shoulders though and knew he was trying to keep him from worrying; Izuku simply wasn't any good at lying. He was about to call him out on it when Midoriya's eyes widened in panic. Almost immediately after, a red blur came barreling towards his head, only barely missing when Izuku yanked him below the water's surface.

Todoroki felt himself being roughly shoved away, his eyes picking up what looked like a vicious fight before his lungs desperately clawed for air.

"Shoto!" Kirishima shouted, swimming over quickly to pull him farther away from the scuffle.

"What the hell is happening?" he yelled back, fighting against the redhead with all of his strength. He could hear Midoriya shrieking and another angrier voice growling beneath the surface, their words spoken too hastily for him to understand everything. But he could tell that Izuku was in pain and it drove him wild with anger and fear.

Kirishima, though smaller than Todoroki, had the advantage in the ocean, and kept gaining ground. "It's another Mer… pissed about something or other… I don't know! We have to get out of the water. That one is bigger than Deku and if he wins he could come after you again!"

Shoto balked at the idea of Midoriya losing, visions of his mangled corpse flashing through his mind. He could see how their two tails were flipping around violently, the water around them holding a little tint of red from how they were scratching, biting and otherwise hitting each other.

All at once, the frantic movements slowed, and Todoroki felt his heart stop with fear.

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**Lol I'm trying to remember what all I wrote for my stories but apparently I have a shit memory XD We'll see how it goes! **

**Let me know what you think! I do love comments so much!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I really should be sleeping right now since I open tomorrow morning, but, oh well lol. I'm trying to get my stories back on track and I'm always tired and stressed anyway XD.**

**Follow me on Twitter! AGirl2223 **

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 5

Bakugo was brilliant, strong, and gifted with everything he did, so he was bound to be arrogant and prideful. When he'd come across a young Mer in need, he'd jumped in without hesitation because he never thought twice about starting a fight, no matter who his opponent was.

He didn't know at the time that Midoriya was going to be the bane of his existence for the rest of his life when he practically dragged him back to Yuuei, but he supposed that's what he got for helping some damn stranger.

For almost a month afterward, the only thing that the green-tailed Mer had done other than hiss in fear and aggression at anyone who came near him was mumbled out his name. Katsuki thought he'd said Deku, laughing about how perfect it was since the young boy was so obviously useless that he couldn't even fight his own battles.

Bakugo, of course, was painfully aware that it wasn't true. Midoriya had been surrounded by multiple sharks and was holding his own, but in a warped sense, that was the only way Katsuki knew how to show his respect for someone he considered an equal. Besides, it was easier on his pride to hound Deku for making him feel like he wasn't the absolute best.

It made it so much worse that Katsuki had never particularly liked anyone, but found that he had a strange sense of companionship with Izuku even if it was based on insults and overly aggressive sparing. He hated that he couldn't simply shove Deku to the back of his mind like all the other extras, and it burned him even more that once Midoriya warmed up to everyone, he quickly became Yuuei's favorite.

When Toshinori had chosen his successor, he'd known in his heart it wouldn't be him. Although it took every ounce of willpower in his strong, fourteen-year-old body, he'd slightly lowered his eyes when Izuku was picked and stood in front of their people as the new heir.

However, Midoriya would often sneak off in the early mornings and not return until sunset when he didn't have training to do. Bakugo had shrugged it off or minimally scolded him for it for years, knowing first hand how hard it was to be cooped up in one place after spending most of your life free to come and go when you pleased.

But, since the boy had turned sixteen, those outings had become more frequent. Everyone noticed, but Deku would laugh off any questions and dodge giving real answers. Because of his good-hearted nature and considerable skill, he was always able to get out of trouble and seemed to be above suspicion, even with the King.

Bakugo, however, was starting to lose patience. His understanding of Izuku's need for what he guessed was solitude was limited, especially now that he would eventually be charged with protecting their entire race. He couldn't just go off on his own and potentially get killed because he was feeling a little stir crazy.

So, a few months ago he'd decided to tail him from a distance, taking it on himself to protect the small Mer if anything should happen. Katsuki had found this task to be incredibly difficult though because Izuku did just about everything in his power to ensure he couldn't be followed.

That fact made Bakugo even more suspicious. If Deku was just going out to swim, then there wasn't any need to hide where he was going.

Today was the first time he'd been able to pick up his trail and mostly keep it, only having to backtrack a couple of times before finding him at a shoreline—somewhere he definitely wasn't supposed to be. Just as he was about to call out for him, he saw a pair of legs moving near the closest thing he had to a friend.

Without thinking about what could possibly be going on, his mind connected a human next to Deku and immediately decided he was about to get killed. He surged forward, whipping his tail towards the teens head to kill or at least stun him long enough to drag Izuku to safety.

But Midoriya had blocked him, tackling him to the ocean floor after pushing the human away from them. He felt the rage that had been simmering in his chest explode, and he violently twisted them, the two devolving into a fight.

"What the fucking hell, Deku!" Bakugo screamed, smacking at him harshly with his tail.

The smaller Mer dodged and countered, managing to swat Katsuki farther away from Shoto, only to be grabbed and thumped on the reef. He could feel the coral biting into his back, cutting the soft skin there. "He's my friend, Kacchan!" Izuku screamed, rearing up so he could headbutt him.

The blonde reeled back, his nose bleeding from the impact. He growled loudly and attacked again, the two twisting around each other and knocking into just about any hard surface that was near while they shouted.

"Have you fucking lost your little nerd mind? He'll kill you!" Bakugo snapped, managing to twist the boy's arm enough to hear a sickening pop and subsequent shriek. But Midoriya still didn't back down.

The smaller Mer flipped their positions and held Katsuki's face into the dirt, his sharp nails cutting into his shoulders while he hit Bakugo's tail with his own, the force discoloring its red scales with an immediate and painful bruise. He did it again for good measure, successfully pinning the blonde even if he still struggled to free himself.

"No, he won't Kacchan! I've known him for years! He's nice and Kirishima is part Mer! Stop it! That's an order!"

Bakugo shook in rage but stilled, his attempts to buck Izuku off of his back ending abruptly. Whether he liked it or not, Midoriya had been chosen as the next heir to Yuuei, and he had to obey a direct order or risk treason.

"You stupid fucking useless Deku. He. Is. HUMAN. Who gives a fuck if the other one is part Mer? He's not able to form a tail and will align himself with that two-colored bastard if it comes down to it." He seethed, his chest heaving in water through his gills.

"I know what he is! But he knows what I am too and he doesn't care… We… You just need to meet them Kacchan! Then you'll see." Midoriya assured, his own lungs on overdrive. "Are you calm enough for me to let go without worrying you'll attack them again?"

"Fuck off, Deku. You know I can't disobey you no matter how fucking stupid you are."

"I shouldn't have used my status like that… I'm sorry. I'm not ordering you now, I'm asking. Please, just meet them for a few minutes…" Izuku begged, releasing his firm grip and backing away.

Bakugo floated up some and turned to glare at Izuku. He couldn't help but feel a little bit bad about attacking Midoriya. It certainly wasn't the first time, but usually, it was quick, without serious injury, and someone was around to intervene effectively.

Izuku winced as he moved, but gestured for Katsuki to follow him, heading towards the shallows once more. He popped up out of the water with a worried smile, finding Todoroki nearly paralyzed in fear and worry on the beach.

"Shoto! It's okay now… will you… uhh… please?" he asked, his voice shaking. He wouldn't blame the human if he said no after witnessing what had probably looked like a death match between creatures he knew Shoto had been taught to fear.

Todoroki took a deep breath, calming his nerves. He was still firmly held in Kirishima's arms but felt the redhead relax some at the sight of Midoriya's worried face bobbing above the water.

Shoto trusted Izuku and knew that he'd protected him from the other Mer that had attacked. But he couldn't help but feel that old fear and hatred of their kind bubbling in the back of his mind. Midoriya had promised that Merfolk were generally gentle creatures that didn't start trouble without it being warranted, but this incident said otherwise.

"Let me go in first…" the redhead offered, "just in case that other one is still angry…"

Todoroki bit his lip as he weighed the options. Kirishima was his friend, so he didn't want to send him into the water knowing that it could still be unsafe even if Deku said it was all okay. He didn't want to give the impression that he didn't trust the Mer either…

Deciding to follow his heart rather than the fearful logic his brain was spewing, he weakly struggled out of Kirishima's hold and dared to step back into the water, moving far slower than was necessary, but faster than his jelly-legs wanted to go.

He was grateful that Kirishima had followed him in, wading beside him and examining the clear water with dedicated attention. Just as Shoto was about to try and reach for Deku to check over his obvious injuries, the redhead's hand flew up in front of him, holding him back.

Blonde hair and angry red eyes rose from the water's surface, eyeing them with clear intent to kill if they so much as dared do something he didn't like. Todoroki suppressed the urge to gulp and turned his own eyes to Midoriya, finding the teen almost as apprehensive, though still holding onto a wobbly smile.

"Uh… hey bro… how's it going?" Kirishima started carefully, his nervous grin mirroring Izuku's own.

"You taught them Mer!" Bakugo hissed accusingly, raising up so that he could smack the back of Izuku's head for emphasis.

Midoriya whined in pain, unable to block it since his injured arm was on the same side as Katsuki. "Kacchan… don't be like that… I told you Kirishima isn't all human and he taught Shoto… I barely had anything to do with it."

"Kacchan?" Kirishima mimicked, his worry slipping some at the nickname.

"**Fuck **off! It's Bakugo to you and scarface!" Katsuki snapped back. But he couldn't help the slight tint that touched his cheeks when the redhead gave a toothy grin. It was like he wasn't even scared that he could be killed anymore.

Midoriya almost yelped in embarrassment and disbelief, "Kacchan! That's rude. You can't say that kind of stuff to people. The only part of that sentence that was okay was your name!"

"It's fine, Deku… I'm aware of my scar, but what did the first whistle mean?" Todoroki asked, his face back to its unreadable expression.

Izuku flushed and rubbed the back of his head with his good hand, being careful to avoid the bumps and cuts there. "Uh… it's not really a polite word…" he explained. Luckily, Shoto just nodded in understanding and went back to standing silently in the water.

"Let's **fucking** go, Deku. I talked to them just like you asked and I'm not impressed. They both look like weak humans with **shitty** hair and bad attitudes." Bakugo grunted, though his eyes lingered on Kirishima for a moment longer than was necessary.

Midoriya puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. _"They have bad attitudes…?"_

But he knew Bakugo had a good point even if it was for the wrong reasons. They were both bleeding into the water and it would probably attract sharks soon. Besides, although Kirishima seemed to be adjusting to the blondes explosive nature, Todoroki looked like he would rather drown than spend another minute in their staring contest.

"Okay… uh… You go on ahead. I'll follow you in a minute and catch up." Midoriya conceded.

Bakugo eyed the two he considered strangers carefully once more before nodding and dipping below the surface, keeping how badly his tail was aching to himself so that he didn't seem weak.

"I'm sorry about him… He… he probably did intend to kill you but it wasn't just because he wanted to I swear! He saw me swimming around out here— where I'm not supposed to be— and thought you were going to hurt me. I know it seems extreme, but he… he has his reasons for being so suspicious…" Midoriya explained, shifting so that he was closer to Shoto.

Kirishima cleared his throat quietly and backed away to give them space. As Todoroki's closest confidant he was aware of his masters growing feelings for Izuku and suspected they were returned even if neither had the courage to act on them yet.

Once Eijiro was far enough away, Todoroki responded. "I'm alright, but it looks like he really injured you… Will you… will you come back now that he knows or is this…" his voice started breaking towards the end, a lump forming in his throat at the idea of not seeing Izuku even one more time.

Midoriya pulled him forward in a crushing one-armed hug, nuzzling his nose under Todoroki's chin lovingly. He'd been worried about the exact same thing and was relieved to know that they both wanted to see each other again.

"I'll come back during our usual time… I swear! Kacchan will cool off and let me be eventually… He isn't one to tattle anyway. I…um… until next time?" he whispered, his big green eyes gazing up at Todoroki carefully.

Shoto nodded and leaned down so their foreheads could touch. He was so tempted to move just a hair more to press their lips together but held back as he always did. "Until next time…"

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**I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story! Nothing is better than getting to read your comments!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm almost done with the next chapter of Call Me Deku! It will be out very soon. Thank you guys for all your support and patience!**

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Learn to Breathe

Chapter 6

_**~Flashback: 9 Years Earlier (Bakugo is roughly 8)~**_

Bakugo swam around quickly, his tail muscles burning for him to slow down and rest. But he didn't want to; he had to become stronger—the best. His body twisted with power and grace far beyond what someone his age should be able to control, maneuvering through tall weeds and sharp rock projections with ease.

"Katsuki! You little shit! Get back here!" his mother yelled, her arms crossed with irritation.

"Eh! You old hag! I'm working on my speed and agility right now!" he shouted back. But he still made a complete turn and swam over to her, grumbling as she pulled him into a crushing embrace. "Let me go, woman. I'm not a little kid anymore…"

"Yes, you are! You're my little kid and you're only eight years old. Show some respect for your mother!" Mitsuki hissed, giving him a light whack on the head. There wasn't any real reprimanding tone in her voice though.

The female Mer was the leader of their small group. She was loud, combative, and often times far more aggressive than necessary for any given situation, but it had kept her and her pod alive. In the vastness of the oceans and seas, she'd learned early on that power and the ability to make harsh decisions was required for survival.

Of course, she'd gone and fallen in love with someone who was the complete opposite. Masaru, her mate, was quiet and calm. His kindness and patience had slowly won over her heart, but she'd known from the very first time she met him that he needed protection.

She was pleased when their son's personality turned out more like hers than her mates. Katsuki wouldn't need to be sheltered from the unforgiving dangers of the open waters because he was born with natural ability and fierceness.

"Tsk… whatever hag… I can do what I want!" Katsuki growled, pulling away from his mother. "We need more fish to eat so unless these extras are going to go get them I will."

The rest of the pod simply rolled their eyes, having long since learned to ignore the rude abrasiveness of the two fiery Bakugo's. If for whatever reason they did have an issue, it was much simpler to just ask Masaru to speak with them anyway.

"Fine. Go and catch something for us you obnoxious brat. But don't you dare swim too far away or I'll knock you into next week!" Mitsuki dismissed, a strong thrum of pride in her voice. She watched him scoff and take off, smiling to herself.

Bakugo huffed and kept swimming despite her warning. Even if he was arrogant when it came to his skills, he wasn't stupid; he'd be careful.

Katsuki darted around, easily catching fish in the net he'd proudly made himself, letting it trail behind him as his red eyes searched for more prey and any potential danger. As he counted his hoard, his sensitive ears picked up a familiar sound and he looked up.

"Tsk… stupid whales" he muttered, watching as a pod swam through the water above him. To him, they moved so slowly, like they never had somewhere to be, but deep down he envied them. Aside from Orca's, they seemed to be immune to everything else dangerous in the ocean… at least in his naïve, child mind.

Their smooth yet loud sounds echoed in his ears, making him smile despite himself. They were having a conversation of some sort—clearly a family. Although he couldn't understand everything, he knew enough to find it endearing.

Every so often, they'd breach the surface of the water, spouting and breathing in air. Bakugo had never been allowed to do something like that; it was simply too dangerous since he could be seen. So, even though he cursed the massive creatures for their slow movements, he watched anyway, living vicariously through them.

He was so focused on them that he didn't notice how another large shape had floated up next to them, ominously following the creatures that were none the wiser. Then a piercing screech nearly deafened him, and blood billowed into the water around the pod.

Their pain-filled calls were so loud that he couldn't make out what was hurting them; it blocked out the sounds of spears being shot into the water, the sickening vibrations of when they tore into the whale's flesh.

He found himself swimming towards them, as fast as his tail would go, only to be captured by strong, familiar arms and dragged back down. "Let me go! They're crying out for help!" he shouted, twisting in his mother's arms.

"Katsuki!" she scolded, giving him a harsh slap across the cheek to break his panic and bring his focus to her. "There's nothing you can do."

Bakugo closed his eyes and shook his head, turning to hide it in Mitsuki's chest. But she turned him back around roughly and pressed him firmly against her as she spoke once more.

"Don't look away, my son. You need to know what humans do; what cruelty their kind is capable of."

So Katsuki did as he was told, opening his burning eyes to watch as the water above them became red and muddled, the scent of blood making him sick. He watched with hatred burning in his heart when the smallest whale's movements slowed and went limp.

"That one is just a pup." He hissed, watching as ropes were wrapped around the pods now lifeless bodies and hoisted up.

"It WAS a pup…" Mitsuki corrected. "Don't be foolish. All predators prefer the young and the old because they are the easiest to kill. But humans are different than all other species that share this world with us."

The younger blonde hiccupped, fighting the urge to full-blown sob at the scene. "Why are they different? How?"

His mother squeezed him more tightly, her own anger causing her to tremble. "Just watch, my son."

Katsuki did. They stayed silent for what seemed like hours as the humans dug around in the whale's carcasses, making them choke on the scent of the mutilated dead mammals. But then he saw what his mother was talking about as those wretched wooden boats finally left.

"They didn't take the bodies? Why did they kill them if it wasn't for food?" he questioned, turning to look at her equally disgusted face.

"Humans often kill for sport or to obtain materials that are not necessary for survival. That is what I want you to understand and take away from this experience Katsuki. When we, or sharks, or other creatures attack, it is not because we derive pleasure from the act as humans do." She explained, running her hand through his hair softly. "They take life without mercy or regret, and then they leave their victims to rot away just like that family of whales."

The younger blonde snarled, cursing the wasteful ways of a species he'd never actually met in person. He'd never like them, he'd never trust them, and he swore to be strong enough to defend his pod against them if it ever came to that.

* * *

_**~Current Day~**_

"You're such a fucking dumbass, Deku!" Bakugo shouted, his harsh voice making the smaller Mer flinch and hiss at the pain that followed. "And pick up the pace. Sharks are going to come after us if we don't get back to Yuuei soon."

"Kacchan… I already said I'm sorry! And I'm not going slow, you are. I didn't mean to hit your tail that hard. If you want I can help-"

"I don't need your damn help!" Bakugo seethed, turning his angry red eyes to Midoriya. He reached out and grabbed Izuku's shoulders, forcing him to face him. "Do you have any idea what kind of shit those bastard humans are capable of? What if something happens to you because you're too fucking trusting?"

Deku dropped his eyes, though his jaw was firmly set. He felt anger towards Bakugo because he was very obviously saying that Shoto was evil, but also conflicted. He'd known Katsuki for years now and could see how worried he was, this time so much so that he'd openly expressed fear of something happening to him.

"Then come with me." Midoriya challenged, finally raising his eyes once more. "You're second only to me in our combat class and you've been wanting to be one of my personal guards since I was chosen to succeed All Might… This could be good practice for you."

"Tsk. You fucking shit. I don't need any damn practice… But fine. I'll watch your dumbass hang out with that ugly land walker but you stop fucking lying to me. If we're going to do this stupid shit then you tell me everything. Got it?" Bakugo grunted.

He used one of his sharp nails to slice into his own palm, holding it out for Midoriya. Blood bonds were sacred to their people; they were promises that went beyond words alone. In the water, even small doses of blood could attract predators to them. So, when two Mer's used it during a deal, it showed their acceptance of potential consequences and dedication to upholding their end no matter what.

Izuku sniffled as well as he could underwater and rubbed his stinging eyes, mumbling out a thank you as he too cut his hand. They shook firmly, solidifying their decision to continue something one thought could bring ruin to their people while the other believed it could be the start of salvation.

* * *

"Oh no! Deku, what happened?" Ochaco questioned, rushing over to the injured Mer and hastily checking him over. She saw the blonde next, soon realizing that the two had gotten into it—only this time it appeared that what was usually a light tussle had been a dangerous fight. "What the hell, Bakugo?" she snapped accusingly.

"Tsk… Little fuck picked a fight with me; he should have known he'd get his ass kicked." Katsuki snorted, swimming past her and towards his room. He insisted on taking care of any wounds he received himself unless it was actually threatening his life.

Uraraka turned back to Midoriya and sighed, taking his good hand in her own. "Come on, let's get you to the infirmary…."

Izuku apologized and let her drag him along, knowing that it would be the easiest thing to do. She was as hard-headed as he was once she decided on something. But he was always grateful for her friendship; Ochaco was the first person his own age to actually befriend him once he got to Yuuei.

"What happened, Deku?" she asked, her big brown eyes flickering back to him. "Bakugo hasn't ever hurt you like this before…"

Midoriya gave a guilty smile and looked away, his brain spinning quickly to come up with something believable. Despite how he'd been sneaking away to visit a human for years now, he'd never once had to openly lie to anyone.

"I uh… He thought I was in danger and when I got onto him for it we just kind of… well… you know how he is."

Uraraka clicked her tongue and sighed. It would be just like Bakugo to jump to conclusions and then get pissed when he found out he was wrong. She often wondered where he even got such a personality. She supposed that it had something to do with being out in the deep seas alone for a while but Midoriya wasn't anything like him.

"Iida was worried about you… so was Tsu and Momo… everyone actually. We all wish you wouldn't go out on your own so much, or at all. What's out there that isn't here at Yuuei?" Ochaco asked.

Midoriya did his best to hide a deep blush, thinking about Shoto and how sometimes he would give the faintest smile when they'd play together. "Uh… it's not like that Ura… I love it here! It's just… I wish things were different for our kind, you know? We shouldn't be terrified to just go out for a swim because of humans."

"That is the way things are, Midoriya. Surely you have been keeping up with your study materials. You are going to be our future leader after all." Iida responded, swimming up to the two with Tsu, both with a disapproving look in their eyes. He looked to Ochaco, not needing to verbally express his question.

"Bakugo." She responded simply, leaning forward to touch his forehead to her own and then with Tsu.

Izuku waited until they'd finished to awkwardly clear his throat. The action was as common as humans waving hands, but he could tell that Ochaco and Asui held the position for a little longer than was really necessary.

"I'm fine guys… really. At least you all know he's going to be really good at his future job, right?" he jested, chuckling when they gave him disbelieving looks. "Kacchan is complicated, but I trust him with my life completely."

His friends simply sighed in unison, hoping that Midoriya's trust in the unwaveringly unpleasant blonde was not misplaced.

* * *

Todoroki paced in his room angrily, fighting with himself over what had happened earlier. Now that he'd had plenty of time to calm down and process everything, he was furious about Bakugo attacking him. _"As if I am the dangerous one."_ He thought hotly, _"I did nothing wrong and that animal tried to kill me and then beat Deku. What else should I have expected from one of their kind… No, that's not right… Midoriya isn't like that…"_

Shoto kicked the edge of his bed, growling softly and rubbing his face. He wondered if he was wrong about Izuku, or if he was simply an anomaly among Merfolk. Bakugo was the only other full Mer he'd ever come in contact with and it didn't bode well for the rest of their species if they were anything like him.

Still, he couldn't see his sweet Izuku hurting anyone without extremely good reason. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever seen him look angry, even during that fight. Of course, most of it took place under the water, but before they went under and after they surfaced it was more worry than anything else.

"Kirishima!" he shouted, knowing that the boy was purposefully hiding in his own room to give him some space.

"Yes, Prince?" the redhead answered, peeking his head through the door.

"Your grandfather; tell me about him," Todoroki ordered, turning towards him with icy cold eyes.

Kirishima stepped forward slowly, carefully moving towards the Prince. He knew Shoto better than anyone and was eternally grateful for the kindness he'd been shown over the years, but he was also aware that the teen could be quite volatile when he became upset.

"Uh… sure… I didn't know him personally but I have stories from my mom. What do you want to know?" he offered, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

Todoroki scowled at him like he should already know exactly what he wanted to hear. But Kirishima just gulped and looked down as he often did when he was worried about disappointing him or getting in his way while he was pissed.

Shoto ground his teeth together and stalked over to his desk, gesturing to the opposite seat for the redhead to sit in. If there was one thing he despised more than his father or now potentially Merfolk, it was becoming like Enji. "Was your grandfather like that beast that attacked Midoriya and I today?"

Kirishima suppressed the urge to wince at the term, knowing that Todoroki wasn't meaning to insult him too. "No… I mean I don't think so… My mom said I take after him so if my personality is anything to go off of I don't think he was that bad of a guy."

Todoroki crossed his arms and clicked his tongue again. He guessed meeting more Merfolk like Kirishima wouldn't be that bad either. Not the brightest of course, but good-hearted and loyal all the way through. "Tell me more…"

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**Love to hear what you think! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

***Breathes in Annoyance* Work is still work, but when my new promotion starts I'll hopefully have more time to write since I like to write at night and I'll be doing more mornings. :) Check out my other stories if you're interested!**

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 7

Midoriya and Bakugo swam side by side the following week, heading back to the cove where Todoroki and Kirishima would hopefully be waiting. There was a tense silence between them that had been ongoing since their fight, and Izuku could feel the distrust and irritation emanating from the blonde.

"So… what are you going to do when we get there?" he asked hesitantly.

"Tsk! You little shit. I'm going to protect your dumb ass just like I swore I would." Bakugo grunted, his hand instinctively gripping his spear more tightly.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya whined in exasperation. "You can't just hover around me and wait to stab Shoto or something! Why don't you spend time with Kirishima? He's really nice and would probably enjoy some company."

"Ahh? I'm not following you to make friends with some shitty-haired half breed. I'm here because when that land walker turns on you—and he will turn on you, Deku—I'm going to kill him and drag your naïve ass back to Yuuei."

Izuku sighed loudly and swam a little faster, ready to relax with Todoroki and just forget this terrible feud between their species for a little while. He decided not to argue with Bakugo on the matter right then, hoping that he would come around eventually.

By the time they reached the familiar reef, his heart was beating loudly in his chest, now very nervous that Todoroki might not show after almost getting killed the last time. He popped his head out of the water, surveying the shoreline and bluffs.

To his immense relief and happiness, Todoroki and Eijiro were waiting there as they usually did. He squealed loudly and swam to the shallows as quickly as possible, ignoring how Katsuki cursed for him to wait.

Midoriya tackled Todoroki, knocking them both underwater as he hugged him tightly. "Shoto! You came back!"

The teen smiled and blinked at him, his cheeks swollen as he struggled to hold his breath. They floated in the water for another moment before Izuku remembered that Shoto didn't have gills and he pulled them both to the surface.

"Sorry! Sorry… I just got excited!" Izuku apologized, his face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm so happy you didn't let Kacchan scare you away… He came with me today and probably will from now on but he promised to behave!"

Todoroki wiped the seawater from his slightly burning eyes and glanced around, unable to see the other Mer. It made him shiver to not know where Bakugo was, but he tried to push the unease aside and just focus on Izuku.

"So, what did you want to do today?" he asked, changing the subject.

Midoriya immediately looked a little on edge, biting his lip nervously. "Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go off the reef today and see the ocean floor…"

Todoroki quirked his eyebrow slightly. "Izuku… You've tried to show me that before and I could never hold my breath long enough."

"I know! But… I have an idea that might w-work… It's a little out there though…"

"Okay…" Shoto agreed hesitantly, noticing how red his friend's face had gotten. "What's this brilliant idea?"

"Well… my gills allow me to filter out water and just suck in oxygen, right? So, I was thinking that I could do that and then umm… breathe it into y-your m-mouth when you n-need more air…."

Todoroki's face lit up then too. If he went through with this then he'd be practically kissing Midoriya every two minutes at least. "Let's try it!" he stated a little too quickly, turning even darker with embarrassment. "I mean… I'd like to see what you do…"

Midoriya gave him a brilliant wobbly grin and dipped back under the water. "Kacchan! I'm going to swim with Shoto for a while. Stay here with Kirishima and don't attack him."

The blonde growled in irritation but swam by them so that he could get closer to shore. He had no intention of buddying up to the redhead, but also really didn't want to see Midoriya doing this 'breathing' thing with Todoroki.

Izuku popped back up and waited for Shoto to put on his goggles. "Are you ready?" he asked, taking his hand.

The Prince nodded and filled his lungs as much as he could, letting Izuku whisk them deeper into the ocean. It was beautiful, coral and fish of all colors around them with sunlight pouring through the water, making the Mer's scales glitter stunningly.

Midoriya didn't swim anywhere near his full speed, knowing that humans couldn't handle the pressure changes as well as he could. It was about halfway down when he felt Todoroki tightening his grip, reaching the end of his air supply.

He stopped and turned, the two of them suspended in the calm water. He hesitantly gripped Shoto's cheeks and smiled when the boy's hands held his slender waist, both pulling each other closer. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Todoroki nodded, his lungs burning while his face turned red from nervousness and oxygen deprivation. He held still as Midoriya slowly pressed their lips together, his eyes fluttering closed as electricity flew through his body. At that moment, he didn't even care if he drowned; he could die happy knowing that he was kissing the Mer.

Shoto opened his mouth slightly and sucked in, his body greedily taking the air Midoriya provided. He blew it out and let the Mer push another few lung-fulls' into him, re-stabilizing his lungs until he could hold his breath again. They stared at each other, both blushing and nervous but so incredibly happy at the same time.

"Want to go lower?" Izuku asked, grinning brightly as Shoto nodded. He dragged the human down once more, holding him so that he could plant his feet in the wet, heavy sand.

Midoriya let go and swam around him gleefully, grabbing his hand once more when Todoroki started to float up. He giggled loudly at the awestruck look on his crushes face, finding him adorable with his two-colored hair swirling around in the water.

Todoroki almost lost the little breath he was holding onto when he saw Izuku laugh, finding the Mer even more beautiful in his natural habitat. It was hard to imagine ever hating a creature like Midoriya when he saw him so peaceful and happy.

He pulled the teen back to him quickly, wrapping one arm around his waist and tangling his other hand in the boy's blackish-green hair. Their bare chests pressed against each other as they stared, both pausing for a moment.

Todoroki pressed their lips together once more, accepting the air that Izuku breathed into him. But this time he didn't try to get any more. He moved his lips slowly against the Mer's, fully kissing him and letting the world fall away, taking all of his problems with it when Midoriya shyly kissed back.

* * *

Bakugo sat on some of the underwater rocks and angrily sharpened his blade, grumbling at the sound of Midoriya's sing-song laugh from somewhere below the drop-off. "Stupid fucking Deku…"

"Do you always curse so much?" Kirishima asked, his voice slightly distorted as he tried to breathe and speak at the same time.

"Tsk… Your half breed gills don't work as well as they should. You're going to start choking if you don't shut up." Bakugo grunted, refusing to look at the boy.

Kirishima grinned widely though, chuckling at the insult like it was more of a joke. "But your lungs work perfectly right? Why don't you come and sit with me on the bluffs instead of underwater? That way I don't choke and we can get to know one another!"

"Has that damn red hair of yours infested your tiny brain? I'm on duty, not here to make friends with a dumb shit like you. Go. Away."

Eijiro started laughing loudly, only to do exactly what Katsuki had warned and breathe in without filtering the water out. He gripped his chest tightly as he coughed, surprised when he felt strong hands grabbing his shoulders and yanking him above the water's surface.

"Damn it, you stupid fuck. I warned you!" Bakugo growled, holding him steady as he continued to sputter and choke.

Kirishima's smile soon returned though as he shook his wet hair from his eyes. "Thanks, bro… that was really manly of you to help me! You do know I'm tall enough to stand up on my own though, right?"

Katsuki's face turned the same color as the teen's hair and he roughly shoved him away. "Yeah, well… I wasn't sure you wouldn't drown and Deku would be pissed at me if I let you. Don't fucking read into it."

"Then I guess you should come and sit on the bluffs with me! I'm just going to keep trying to talk to you whether you stay underwater or not!" Kirishima chuckled, turning to wade over to the rocky area. He laughed harder when the blonde cursed a storm behind him but ended up following.

When they got to the bluffs, he pushed himself up and stood, stretching. "You can sit on the edge if you want! That way you don't have to hold onto the side or tread water too long."

"I already told you I'm here to keep that two-colored bastard in line. I need to stay in the water so I can get to Deku quickly if he needs help." Bakugo explained gruffly. He couldn't help but stare a little at the teen's chest as he stretched though, eyeing how Kirishima's muscles rippled and tensed beneath his clothes.

Eijiro shrugged, blissfully unaware of how the blonde swallowed hard and averted his gaze to avoid being caught. He started stripping off his soaking wet shirt to wring it out. "So, what's your beef with Shoto? It seems kind of unmanly to hate on someone who never did anything to you."

"Humans are scum. Every last one of them. Don't you know what they do to my kind when we are weak enough to get caught?"

"I'm aware…" Eijiro replied, his voice losing its excitable edge.

The change in tone made Katsuki look back up, his jaw falling slack. The redhead had his back to him as he finished squeezing his shirt and began putting it back on, allowing Bakugo to easily see the harsh white whip marks that crisscrossed over the otherwise smooth tan skin… the keloid scars that wrapped around his wrists and ankles.

Kirishima turned around, catching the regretful, angry look on the blonde's face before he had a chance to school it. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the rock, letting his legs dangle down in the water. "I've only talked to you twice, but I have a feeling not much makes you speechless."

Bakugo grit his teeth together and almost snarled. "Those bastards did that to you? You couldn't be that much older or younger than me so how fucking old were you when that happened?"

"I was fifteen going on sixteen when I was found out and taken prisoner. I only ended up being kept imprisoned for a few months though, so it's no sweat!" Eijiro explained, leaning back on his hands. He grinned softly at the blonde, his expression showing no signs of ill will.

"Just because you're part Mer? How can you fucking defend that weird-ass looking human when his kind are the ones who punished you for something entirely out of your control?" Bakugo questioned.

"Because Shoto was the one to convince the guards to let me go… He's taken care of me since then. I know he can be a little temperamental but he's actually a really manly dude."

"Tsk…" Katsuki scoffed, pulling himself up to sit beside the boy. "I guess if your dumb ass isn't chained up anymore because of him I don't have to worry too much about that little useless Deku."

Kirishima gave him two thumbs up and then slung an arm around Bakugo's tan shoulders, his carefree laughter ringing out when the blonde started cussing and shoved him back into the water.

* * *

Midoriya swam in little loops while they headed back home, humming happily to himself as he remained on cloud nine from kissing Shoto.

"Oi! Cut that dumb shit out, Deku. We need to get back already so that no one gets any ideas." Bakugo grunted, turning back to glare at the lovesick teen. He rolled his eyes, less irritated than he usually was even though Midoriya wasn't listening to him.

"Come on Kacchan! Wasn't today fun?" Izuku cooed, hurrying to catch up to him before returning to his carefree gliding.

"Tsk… What could possibly be fun about waiting around for hours as you sucked face with that ugly land walker? I thought my fucking ears would start bleeding with how much shitty-hair talked."

Midoriya's whole upper body turned the color of Bakugo's tail and he covered his face with both arms. "We didn't kiss the whole time!"

"What the fuck, Deku! I was just meaning that you helped that human breathe underwater! Did you actually kiss him?" Bakugo growled, the anger in his voice dragging Midoriya from his happiness.

Midoriya stopped swimming and began to fidget like a child who'd done something wrong but wasn't entirely sorry for it. "I… Y-yeah…"

"You stupid useless—ARGH! How could you fall for a fucking human, Deku? You're the next ruler of Yuuei and are supposed to protect OUR people! MERFOLK. Not. Humans. Do you have any idea what could happen to you if anyone fucking found out that you were courting with the enemy?" Bakugo hissed, grabbing the boy's shoulders and shaking him as if he could jolt him out of his feelings.

"You don't think I know that?" Midoriya shouted back, tears merging with the salty seawater surrounding them. "I know what I'm supposed to do and how stupid this is, but I can't help how I feel about him, Kacchan! You've always called me stupid, and maybe I am for wanting to be with Shoto but he wants me back and doesn't care that I'm from a species his kind hates!"

Bakugo yanked on his blonde hair until he was sure he'd ripped out a chunk or two, fighting the very powerful urge to throttle the smaller Mer. He took a deep breath to try and force down his impulsive rage, attempting to persuade him one last time. "Deku… You live in the water and he's a human that can't hold his breath longer than a couple of minutes at a time. Even if you let your tail dry so that you could grow legs and spend time with him on land, it would only last for a few days before killing you—and that's if you weren't discovered and executed first… It won't work between you two."

"Kacchan… I know that… really… But I don't care… I'd rather be with Shoto once every so often than have a mate back in Yuuei that I can see whenever I want to…"

Katsuki's shoulders sagged in defeat; in the years he'd known Izuku, he'd found that once the boy's mind was set on something it didn't ever change. The only thing he could do now is protect the young heir from what he considered to be an inevitable disaster. "Whatever Deku… Just… Don't forget your responsibilities to Yuuei and our people. We need you more than that two-colored prick."

"You… You're giving me your blessing?" Midoriya nearly gasped, his disheartened tears turning to ones of happiness. "Really, Kacchan?"

The blonde rolled his eyes, letting his signature scowl return as he twisted and began swimming once more. "I swear you cry just to cry…"

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**Let me know what you think! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, uh... Working from 4:30 AM-3:00 PM has really been fucking with my sleeping schedule... Especially since I also work as a manager at another job as well and those hours are completely different (like 3:00 PM- 1:30 AM)...**

**I'm Fucking Exhausested Ya'll.**

**Anyway, writing Fanfiction and then getting to read everyone's reviews/comments is my main source of happiness so I'm trying to get in some writing in between work and taking care of my grandma!**

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 8

_**~Time-Skip: 2 Months~**_

Bakugo swam past Midoriya and Todoroki as they met in the water, heading straight for where Kirishima was lounging lazily on the high-tide wettened bluffs. He made a gagging noise when he heard Deku giggling and not so subtly kissing the human, and moved a bit faster to get out of earshot.

"Oi shitty-hair!" he called, his heartbeat picking up when the teen sat up and smiled at him with his overly sharp teeth poking out cutely.

"Hey, Bakugo!"

"Are you just going to sit up there on land like a dipshit or are you going to get your ass in here?" Bakugo grunted impatiently. "You asked me to train you to use your gills more efficiently and my time is damn valuable."

Kirishima laughed as he jumped in, his cannonball splashing water onto Katsuki who suppressed the urge to smack the playful teen. He swam down, his face in a fake pout. "Aww, come on bro! Can't we take one day off? I've been doing a lot better and practicing on my own too! I can talk and use my gills at the same time really easy now!"

Bakugo rolled his eyes, swimming in circles around the half-Mer with ease. It was true that Kirishima had made a remarkable improvement in the two months since their first real meeting, but he didn't know what they would do if it wasn't training. Truth be told, that was the only thing Katsuki was actually good at. "Tsk… I'm not Deku. I don't take the day off whenever the fuck I feel like it."

Kirishima did a little roll, his red eyes locked onto Bakugo's mischievously. "Pretty manly of you if you ask me! Okay, so, you don't like to play games or anything… How about you teach me how to do something else instead?"

That got Bakugo's interest, his pride surging with the knowledge that someone looked up to him. It was even better that they didn't despise his personality and weren't Deku. "Fine" he agreed, his lips twitching into a smile. "How about we test your stomach today?"

"Eh? My stomach?" Eijiro questioned, doing his best to keep up with Bakugo as they headed towards the reef area. Despite his half-blood status, he couldn't swim any faster than an average human and the blonde rarely waited up for him.

Katsuki smirked when he stopped, pulling the spear from his waist. With one deft movement, he plunged it forward and stabbed a nearby fish, yanking its lifeless body off the tip right after. He handed it to Kirishima, his smug expression only growing with the shock on the teen's face.

"You've been eating cooked food most of your life, right? Since you want to bitch about gill training today, let's see if that delicate half-human stomach can handle what full Mer's eat every day."

Eijiro just laughed though, his red hair swishing around his tan face in such a way that it almost took Bakugo's breathe away, not that he really noticed. "What? You think I can't do it? You're on bro!" he stated boldly, taking a large chomp out of the raw food.

Katsuki couldn't deny that he was impressed with how gung-ho Kirishima always was, but he was still desperately trying to pretend that he hadn't begun to develop feelings for the boy. _"He's just some half-breed! I don't need anyone… especially not... fuck. It's only been two damn months for fuck's sake! Fuck… he's so cute when his cheeks are all puffed u—no! Shit. Go back to training. Nothing else is important."_

"How'd I do?" Kirishima grinned, pulling Bakugo from his intrusive thoughts.

"You ate a damn fish… not like it's a huge feat," Katsuki responded, his cheeks heating up slightly.

"Well, I think I deserve a gift for meeting all of your expectations!"

Bakugo cocked his eyebrow and crossed his arms over his muscled chest, scoffing at the boy's continued boldness. "Yeah? You think you're hot shit because you can breathe underwater without choking every few minutes and can eat raw food?"

Kirishima swam just a bit closer, that mischievous grin back on his lips. "That's right and it's only manly for you to reward me for being so awesome!"

Katsuki felt two urges, one to lean forward and kiss the redhead and the other to pull back and blush furiously. He fought against both, keeping himself exactly where he was with his resting bitch face. "Just tell me what the fuck you want, shitty-hair."

Eijiro held out his hand, almost vibrating with triumph and excitement. "Take me for a swim! I want to see how fast you can go!"

"AHH? Are you serious?" the blonde asked. For perhaps the first time in his life, he was a little self-conscious, wondering if he'd be able to swim fast enough to impress Kirishima.

"Mhmm!" the redhead hummed, snatching one of Bakugo's partially webbed hands.

"Tsk… Alright. Hold on tight dumbass; if you let go I'm going to make you swim all the way back yourself!"

* * *

Todoroki helped Midoriya get up into the most shallow part of the shore, being careful not to scratch his strong tail on the rocks and sand as his weight became less supported by water. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Come on… We spend all day playing around in the water and I want to know what it feels like to roll around in the sand!" Izuku pouted, peering up at Shoto lovingly.

The human rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile slightly. "It's going to feel like you're having your skin grated by a bunch of tiny rocks and then you won't be able to get it off until you're fully submerged again."

Midoriya stuck his tongue out as he was finally settled on the shore, his whole body out of the waters reach so that he could touch the dry areas with ease. He giggled loudly when Todoroki dropped behind him and kissed at the back of his neck.

"So, how long can you stay up here before it's bad for you?" Shoto murmured into his damp hair, wrapping his arms around Midoriya's chest sweetly.

Izuku leaned back into the embrace, resting his head on Todoroki's bare shoulder. "Hmm… I've never been on land before, so, I can't say for sure what my exact time limit is, but generally two days."

The human sighed and squeezed Midoriya a little more tightly, desperately wishing that he could be with him all the time. He'd even happily spend the rest of his days on a boat if it meant more time with Midoriya.

"Shoto…" Izuku mumbled, his body suddenly becoming very tense and rigid.

"What is it?" he responded worriedly, a sharp throng of pain shooting through his chest from the somber tone.

"There's something… You know I would come on land and spend that time with you if I could, right?" Midoriya asked.

Todoroki kissed down Izuku's neck, nodding in agreement. "And I would stay in the water with you if I could."

"No… That's not what I meant… I just… I need to tell you something and I know I should have before but, I was scared it might ruin our friendship. Now I'm scared that it will ruin our relationship but I think you need to know and I—"

"Izuku," Todoroki breathed, pulling the boy's chin back and up so that he could kiss his lips softly. It was a deep, loving kiss, one that expressed how dedicated he was to staying with the Mer. "You can tell me anything…"

Midoriya gripped the boy's hands and kissed his palms, doing his best to calm himself. "I… I'm a Prince… I mean I guess I wasn't born one, but our King chose me to be his successor. Once he passes I'll have to take over and I'll be responsible for so many Mer's. That's why I can't spend more than a few hours a week with you and why Kacchan is always so protective… My absence doesn't go unnoticed even now and when I become King… I don't know how I'll get to see you…"

Izuku waited for what he believed to be their inevitable break up; it just wasn't realistic to think that they could be together when he would eventually have to stay deep in the ocean and Shoto couldn't live underwater at all. Maybe if he wasn't a future King it wouldn't have mattered so much, but that just wasn't the reality.

To his surprise, Shoto started laughing. It was loud and guttural like everything depressing he'd just said was the most hilarious joke he'd ever heard. Izuku was about to object and say it wasn't funny when the teen twisted out from behind him and pressed him back into the sand, straddling his tail as he captured his lips in another kiss.

Midoriya blinked up at him, confusion written all over his blushing face. Shoto stood abruptly and jogged over to where he'd left his clothes farther on the beach, holding up a finger for him to be patient.

"What are you doing?" the Mer asked as he sat up.

Todoroki returned with his cloak and rummaged around in the largest pocket, withdrawing a shining woven silver band. He held it out for Midoriya to take, grinning brightly.

Izuku ran his fingers over the metal, realization dawning on him. "You mean you're royalty too?" he gasped. "You're a Prince of Endeavor?"

Shoto dropped to his knees beside Midoriya and took the item back, placing it on his head with a more subdued, gentle smile. "I'm the youngest, but I'm my father's choice for successor. I know my ancestors are the ones that started the conflict between Merfolk and humans, but, if you're willing to look beyond my family's past, I think you and I could change relations between our kinds for the better."

"Kiss me, Shoto." Izuku breathed, tugging the boy towards him as he fell back. He wrapped his arms around Todoroki's strong shoulders as he leaned over him, pouring his happiness into their affections.

The human was only too willing to oblige, bracing one forearm on the ground above Midoriya's head so that he could use the other to gently grab his sand-filled hair and claim his soft pink lips. He pulled back for air after a few minutes, both boys breathing heavily.

"How did I get so lucky to meet you?" Todoroki whispered, resting his forehead against Izuku's as he nuzzled their noses together.

Izuku blushed and leaned up to peck the teen's lips repeatedly. "I'm the lucky one…"

* * *

Bakugo and Midoriya sparred with each other, tumbling around in the water as they jabbed and swiped their weapons. Since it was just practice, the 'swords' were made of coral and weren't at all sharp, but they still hurt if you were hit hard enough.

After a couple of hours, both boys were panting and littered with fresh bruises, though neither would bring up that Bakugo had more on his skin.

"So, what the fuck is it, Deku?" Katsuki questioned, stretching his sore arms as best he could without wincing.

"What's what? I don't understand" Izuku lied, his eyes darting around nervously.

"Tsk, don't even start; you're the worst liar I've ever fucking met. You only ask me to spar outside of our usual times when something is bothering you, so just spill it already."

Midoriya groaned at his transparency, letting himself drift down to the sandy ocean floor so that he could gaze up at the sea life above them. "I swore I'd tell you everything right? Well… I'm going to tell you something now and I just know you're going to react badly even though I think it's a good thing."

"Fucking Deku; It's always something with you isn't it."

Izuku couldn't help but chuckle, finding the blondes predictable responses comforting in such an unsure time in his life. "I… I told Shoto what I am to our people and—"

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Bakugo shouted, his voice roaring through the waters like a sonic boom.

"Kacchan…" Midoriya whined, "Shoto's last name is Todoroki… He's a Prince too and—"

"Damnit Deku! Are you seriously telling me you're falling in love with the spawn of the instigators of our people's genocide? Un-fucking-believable. Now I've fucking seen everything. You stupid, worthless, backward waste of space. What the fucking hell are you going to do now?"

Izuku took the verbal beating with grace, patiently waiting for Katsuki's temper to settle down before he continued. He did admit that it seemed a little weird to have two Princes from two opposing families of two conflicting species miraculously meet and fall for each other but, he believed in fate.

"Well… He and I think when we're both the rulers of our respective peoples that maybe we can start to change the way things are now… I mean… who better than those that can't be defied by their followers right?"

Bakugo hovered over Midoriya and slammed his fist down, barely missing the boy's head… though Deku didn't flinch away at all. They kept each other's determined gaze for several minutes, refusing to admit that the other was right.

"And what if he's playing you to get information, Deku?" Katsuki growled lowly, red eyes boring into Izuku like daggers. "Now that we know he's royalty it makes sense for him to gain your trust; his family has sworn to exterminate us but don't know where to look."

"Shoto isn't like that!" Izuku replied firmly. "I've been spending time with him for over a year and he's a really great person… Besides, you've been hanging out with Kirishima and haven't noticed anything off with him! If Shoto wasn't being genuine, then the only other person he's close to would at least be suspicious right? Has he said anything?"

Bakugo grit his teeth together in anger, but eventually looked away and backed off, extending a hand for Midoriya to take. He didn't trust Todoroki yet, but he did trust Izuku and Kirishima; if they both said that the human Prince was a good person, then he'd begrudgingly take their word for it… for now at least.

"Tsk… You and shitty hair are naïve…"

Izuku chuckled lightly and felt all the tension leave his aching body. He started swimming back towards the inner city with Bakugo, feeling more hopeful than he had in his whole life. "So, what kind of courting gift are you going to bring Kirishima the next time we go?"

Katsuki scoffed, but his pinkening cheeks gave him away. "I'm not bringing that dipshit anything. I just hang around him since there's nothing else for me to do while you drool over that two colored bastard."

"Shoto says Kirishima talks about you a lot… Always calling you 'the manliest man he's ever met'…" Midoriya pushed, wiggling his eyebrows at the increasingly redfaced blonde.

"F-fuck off… I'll fucking kill you, Deku" Bakugo stuttered out, too embarrassed to even come up with a good insult to throw back.

Izuku just threw his head and roared with laughter, taking off at his fastest speed moments later when Katsuki got over his flustered paralysis enough to take a swing at him.

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**:) Thank you for reading my story and for staying faithful despite how infrequently I update! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Whoop, Whoop! This is the third update I've posted today (Also posted for 'A Day In Your Life' and 'Show Me Where Your Love Lies')! Maybe I'll go for a 4th or even a 5th? Who knows? It's my 2nd day off in a row since I had to work eight 12+hour shifts in a row before this!**

**#Still have to go to work even though the entire country is shutting down though lol. **

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 9

**_~Time-Skip: Getting Closer to 18 Y.O.~_**

Midoriya sat through his class lectures impatiently, his mind more focused on getting to see Todoroki again than what they were learning. He glanced over to Bakugo, noting that the teen looked equally as disinterested in 'Deep Ocean Fossil Theory'. True to his word, the blonde hadn't given Kirishima any courting gift yet, but Midoriya could tell that he really wanted to.

When their classes broke for a lunch break, everyone seemed to sigh in unison, making their teachers eye twitch in annoyance

"You'll be sorry if you don't know this stuff later in life…" Hizashi grumbled, his wild yellow tail almost vibrating.

"Of course, Mr. Yamada" Momo assured, eyeing everyone else to agree. "Recognizing fossils is a great skill that helps us identify what creatures live in which areas so that we know if it is safe to be there."

"Except we'd have to take the time to dig them up before actually seeing them…" Mina whispered to Sero and Kaminari, the three giggling to each other.

"Ungrateful brats… Don't listen to them, Hizashi." Aizawa drawled as he swam over, hugging his mate tightly and kissing his cheek.

"Aww hey, babe! You didn't have to get up just to bring me lunch. You should be sleeping when you get the chance." The loud Mer replied, chucking as the man's scruff tickled him.

The students pretended they weren't watching the display as they packed up, but totally were. It was simply adorable to see their overly peppy teacher bringing out the softer side of the overworked and consistently serious Chief of Security.

"How in the world did those two become mates do you think?" Ochaco whispered as she, Iida, and Midoriya headed to the courtyard area to eat.

"Whatever do you mean?" Tenya questioned. "If you're asking about mating rituals I find the subject highly inappropriate for us students to speak about."

"Oh… don't be such an ocean current monitor," Uraraka pouted, "I'm talking about how two Mers who are completely different in personality fell in love with each other. Besides Tenya… We'll all be eighteen in a few months and will officially be old enough to take mates and whatever else goes with that."

"Opposites attract?" Midoriya answered, more thinking about himself and Shoto than his teacher's love life.

The largest Mer in their group stiffly chopped his arm, doing his best to cut the conversation short. "Even still! It feels wrong to be talking about taking mates when none of us are courting another yet."

Izuku repressed the urge to cough, his nose twitching as it usually did when he was hiding something. "Probably right…" he said instead, earning a glare of betrayal from Uraraka.

"Oi, Deku!" Bakugo grunted, giving the teen a reprieve from a conversation that he had way too much to hide in.

"Hey guys, I'll see you in class okay?" Izuku chimed in relief.

"You've been spending a lot more time with Bakugo, is everything alright between you two?" Ochaco asked hesitantly, looking over at the blonde as he scowled at them impatiently.

"Yeah! Everything is great… He and I are just getting over our differences… a common goal and all you know… *cough* Okay, bye!" Izuku called over his shoulder as he swam towards his friend/partner in crime.

"Tsk… You could just not say anything if you're going to be that fucking obvious," Bakugo sneered, taking a large chomp of his food.

Izuku sighed with exasperation, feeling like he was getting slammed from all sides that day. "What is it, Kacchan…"

The blonde's confident and smug expression immediately changed into one of nervousness and what might have been self-doubt if it was anyone else. "Let me see that necklace you've been working on for half and half."

"Whaaa?" Izuku questioned, his face turning the color of the blondes tail in an instant. "Kacchan! That's really personal!"

"Tsk… don't be a little bitch, Deku. That shit is meant to be shown off, right? So just let me see it."

Midoriya puffed up his cheeks but took a pouch from his belt and handed it to Katsuki. "Don't make fun of it, Kacchan…" he begged.

The blonde rolled his eyes but dumped out the bag's contents, examining the beautifully woven deep sea shells that Izuku had found and strung together. "Heh… this isn't half bad, Deku."

Midoriya flushed, his chest swelling with pride from the closest thing to a compliment that he'd ever received from Bakugo. He gingerly took it back and carefully ran his fingers over it, praying that Shoto would like it too.

When he looked back up, he saw that Katsuki was looking even more uncomfortable than earlier, his eyes focused on the ground. "What's the matter?"

The blonde scoffed weakly, still desperate to hold onto his pride but quickly failing to keep it. He lifted up his bag and shoved it into Midoriya's hands, his mouth opening to say something only to snap shut with a loud clack of teeth right after.

Izuku reached in carefully and immediately felt something solid, pulling it out slowly. It was a bone dagger, small but exceedingly well made. The handle was etched with an intricate design, one that had probably taken a long time to create.

"This is what you made him?" he mumbled, still awestruck. "This… This is amazing Kacchan!"

"Tsk… I fucking know it is, dipshit. But you and that land walking prick are always giving each other shells or trinket stuff and so does everyone else."

Midoriya's face contorted into a large 'Oh' and then into a wide grin. "Kacchan… I think Kirishima would like this much more than shells he could find himself. Besides, Mer's in Yuuei get their weapons from a craftsman so there isn't any need for their mates to make them. This is really special!"

Bakugo didn't look completely convinced, but some of his usual bravadoes did return. He took the blade back and stuffed it into his bag, swimming off without another word. Midoriya turned as well to return to his friends for the remainder of their lunch, becoming excited all over again to head back to shore.

* * *

Todoroki sat at his work desk, reading over the many scrolls and documents that his father's court had sent over to him as well as ones he'd requested himself. He had to keep up with all the new laws and decrees that were going out so that he was aware of what was happening in what would one day be his kingdom.

"Kirishima…" he drawled, startling the teen from his napping. "You're supposed to be studying too…"

"Uh… right bro—I mean Prince! Sorry…" he responded quickly, zeroing in on the same document he'd been reading for the past hour.

"As long as we are alone you can refer to me however you want to," Shoto stated, sighing as he stretched.

"So… how many have you found?"

Todoroki almost groaned with distress, rubbing his tired eyes with frustration. "There are more laws against Merfolk than I care to count."

Kirishima hummed in sad acknowledgment, knowing exactly how long of a battle it would be repealing all the rules—both written and just spoken—once they had the power to do so. "We get to go to the shore tomorrow, so that's something to look forward to at least!"

"Excited to see that bloodlust filled Mer?" Shoto jabbed playfully, smirking some when Kirishima's face reddened.

"Well, I… uh… yeah…" the redhead admitted, running his hand through his hair. "He's just super manly, ya know?"

"So you tell me almost every single day… Izuku thinks he's starting to like you; will you allow him to court you if he does?"

Kirishima sputtered with embarrassment, wishing he hadn't dozed off and gotten the Prince's attention. "I um… I don't know."

Todoroki cocked an eyebrow with surprise; that was not what he was expecting to hear at all. From how often the redhead talked about Bakugo, and the dreamy, blushing face that usually accompanied his thoughts, Shoto was sure that there was strong pinning going on. "Why not?"

Eijiro sighed and rubbed his arm nervously, he almost had resignation in his expression. "Well, I mean, I really like him and all that but, it wouldn't exactly work between us. He's a Mer and I'm only half so—"

"Why would that matter? You've encouraged me to pursue my feelings for Izuku and yet there is no cross over in our bloodlines. Wouldn't it be more difficult for me to be with him than for you to be with Bakugo?"

Kirishima shrugged and smiled sadly. "I guess it would be easy to think that, but, if things work out with you becoming King and reverting the laws on Merfolk stuff, Midoriya could come and spend time with you on land. Bakugo isn't like that though, man. He's got no interest in leaving the water and even if I have gills, I couldn't keep up with him or fend for myself in his world. I'd be dead weight."

"So, you're worried that he wouldn't compromise for you, and if you did for him you wouldn't be able to make him happy without the ability to fully transform into a Mer?" Todoroki clarified. He felt a little bad when the redhead nodded in agreement, having not thought about their potential relationship in that way.

"It's whatever though! Just kind of a fact of life I guess!"

The Prince tilted his head back and forth, somewhat agreeing and yet not at the same time. "Are you sure that Bakugo wouldn't even try to spend time with you out of the water? If he does choose to court you, surely that means that he's aware of what that would mean."

"Maybe… I mean he's actually really smart when you get past his ego. He's got to ask to court me first though, and I think that might be a little hopeless with someone as prideful as him!" Kirishima chuckled, gazing fondly out the window to the sea.

Todoroki hummed and went back to reading his documents, hoping that his friend would find the answer to his dilemma.

* * *

"So, what exactly is your job title then?" Kirishima questioned with awe, trying to pry a little more information out of Bakugo. "When we first met, you told me you were 'on duty' and had to protect Midoriya, but now that I know he's a Prince it really changes things."

"I don't have a title; Deku never officially declared me his guard since he's supposed to have more than one and no one else would put up with this cringey love shit he's got going." The blonde responded, though he did feel a little proud.

Kirishima always looked at Bakugo like he was the coolest thing on Earth, but ever since Midoriya and Todoroki had confessed their princely statues to each other, his expression had become even more full of wonderment. It stroked Katsuki's ego hard.

"Oh man, so you're not only a super-strong warrior but loyal too? That's amazing bro!"

Bakugo was becoming less able to stop his cheeks from flaming in Eijiro's presence and he hastily looked away. "Uh, what do you do with the Prince? Are you his guard or some shit?"

Kirishima pouted as he shook his head, letting himself simply float in the sun-warmed water. "Nah, nothing like that; I'm just his servant. Endeavor law forbids teaching Mers how to fight and since I'm half, Shoto can't train me. He has been teaching me how to read and write though so that's been cool."

"Erm," Katsuki grunted, clearing his throat to try and force the nervous lump out of the way so that he could speak. "I could, uh… I could teach you how to fight."

The redhead snorted at the offer, once again feeling too inadequate to take it seriously. "Come on, bro… don't tease me like that. You know I'd never be able to do what you can in the water."

Bakugo's chest was tighter than a clam, face burning; It was now or never. He dug around in his bag and retrieved the courting gift he'd meticulously created, holding it out for Kirishima to take or refuse. "Then you can show me how to walk on land and I'll train you up there."

Eijiro was absolutely dumbstruck when he saw the blade Katsuki had made for him, only to be further shocked by his willingness to leave the ocean even if it was infrequent. His insecurities made his hands tremble, but the adorable flush on Katsuki's face was irresistible.

He gingerly reached out and took the dagger, his own rosy hue deepening when their fingers grazed each other. "Y-you'd really do that?"

"Tsk. Of course… I have to learn how to fight on land to protect Deku when he inevitably decides that he wants to pretend to be human." Bakugo stated, though he averted his eyes.

It was a decent and logical reason, but even Kirishima could see that Bakugo was just trying to draw attention away from the fact that there probably wasn't anything he wouldn't at least try if it meant making his potential mate happy.

The redhead took a moment to look over the delicately etched handle before grinning more widely than he had in his entire life. Without warning, he reached out with his free hand and caught his fingers in Bakugo's hair, pulling until he could slam their lips together.

The blonde almost squeaked he was so surprised, but recovered quickly, smirking happily while wrapping his arms around Eijiro and kissing back. Maybe this wasn't going to work out at all, but if he got to feel this way every time he touched his courting partner, he'd do everything in his power to make sure they had a chance.

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**Okay, so, my other two updates (and likely the 4th and 5th if I get to them) are angsty as hell and that's a lot of angst even for me! I figured we should have a break from that and have some 'cringey love shit' as Bakugo would say XD**

**Leave me a review/comment! Your thoughts are my sustenance! **


	10. Chapter 10

**So, my sickly ass has to go get tested for the Coronavirus today because I have the sniffles after a week of fever. Most likely nothing more than a sinus infection compounded with allergies since I've been cooped up in a house with five cats, two dogs, my grandma, and limited cleaning supplies. BUT OH WELL! I can't get back to work until I've been cleared so, here goes nothing. **

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 10

"So…" Midoriya started, dragging out the word with emphasis.

Bakugo smacked his lips together in response and tossed his head to the side, refusing to let Midoriya see the relieved flush on his face; he just knew he had some dopey grin plastered there. "Of course he fucking took it; I'm damn desirable, Deku."

Midoriya's smirk only grew at the statement since he was fully aware of just how nervous Bakugo had been risking getting rejected. The blonde went completely out of his way to appear hardened and invulnerable, shutting down any chance at even the most basic relationships with volatile behavior and a staunch refusal to open up. Midoriya and now Kirishima were probably the only two people in the world that knew about or at least suspected that Bakugo was sensitive and good-natured underneath all of his airs.

"Of course you are…" he replied silkily, "I've just never seen you so docile, that's all."

"AH? You want me to kick your ass again, Deku?" Bakugo snorted with his chest puffing out.

The smaller Mer chuckled and relaxed into the current they were being pulled by, imagining what their lives would be like one day. He couldn't wait to see what Shoto did on land; to try the foods and drinks the young Prince talked about and to wear 'pants'. What was once a far off dream seemed so close at that point, especially with Bakugo more on board with the whole situation.

"I uh…" The blonde started, his voice dropping low. "I told Eijiro that I'd…"

Midoriya turned to examine Bakugo, cocking an eyebrow. "You told him that you'd what?"

"You're going to want to learn how to do shit on land, eventually, right?" Bakugo stated, seemingly changing the subject as his surety returned. "Well, Eijiro is going to teach me how to walk around and other basics in return for getting sparing lessons. When I'm sure I can protect you, then you can start practicing."

_"Smooth… Make it seem like this is all for me and my safety…" _Midoriya snorted to himself in amusement, though outwardly he kept his face schooled. "That makes sense; I can't have a guard that doesn't know what they're doing."

The blonde's eye twitched at the comment but he otherwise ignored it, secretly grateful that Midoriya was letting him get away with pretending like the number one reason he was going on land wasn't for Kirishima.

"How are we going to do this shit though, Deku?" he questioned after a time. "It could take a while for our scales to merge into skin or whatever and we can't be gone that long… those nosey ass friends of yours already ask too many questions.

"Mmm… I could see if Shoto could bring more of those big strips of cloth they use to help us dry faster? He and Kirishima seem to really like using them so, it's worth a try. Actually, I don't know all that much about what happens when we start transforming… Do you think it hurts?"

"Tsk, are you seriously bringing up pain, Deku?" Bakugo scoffed. "I've seen you after you were mauled by sharks and you still acted like some spastic idiot."

"Uh… Thanks?" Midoriya laughed, hoping that was meant to be a compliment. "I guess I can snoop through some of the old tablets we have and see if there is something that gives more detail on the process."

The blonde snorted again but unconsciously sped up, so ready to know how he could be closer to his new courting partner.

* * *

"So, you said yes, then?" Todoroki questioned, grinning when Kirishima's skin flared red. He was happy that his friend was taking a chance even though he knew how uncertain he'd been and likely still was about the blonde courting him. "May I see the gift he presented to you?"

Kirishima held out the small dagger for Todoroki to see, still blushing heavily. "Isn't it so manly he made me a weapon?"

The Prince smirked and nodded even though he couldn't imagine anyone other than Kirishima thinking a blade was the absolute perfect way to say 'I'm totally falling for you'. "Did you bring up your concerns with him?"

"Oh, well… actually Katsuki brought up the whole going on land thing! He said he wants to learn how to move around on two legs so that he can protect Midoriya when he starts going up on land to spend more time with you. I told him I'd help him out…"

Todoroki chuckled, an image of Bakugo in an absolute rage as Kirishima tried to help him hobble around in the sand; the blonde didn't seem like he'd be the best student with his complete lack of patience and intense temper. But, if there was someone that could weather the storm that was Bakugo, it would be his easy-going servant/best friend. Kirishima had an innate ability to put up with moody people it seemed; it was no wonder he and Bakugo seemed to be the perfect match for one another.

"I must admit I'm anxious to spend time with Izuku on land…" Todoroki admitted. "As long as his hair is covered he'd pass for human fairly easily so I may even be able to take him to some of the places he seemed intent on seeing. What of Bakugo though? Surely he'd want to follow…"

Kirishima hummed in thought; Bakugo was an entirely different story thanks to his ruby-red irises. "Well… I guess we could just put a blindfold over his eyes? He wouldn't be able to see but at least then he'd be able to intervene if it became absolutely necessary…"

"I'm sure he'll love that idea…" Todoroki snorted in amusement, earning an understanding chuckle from Kirishima as well.

"Ah, it'll be fine! Besides, it could be a while before they're ready for that. I don't know much about it since my mom never said, but I imagine it's not easy learning to walk when you've only ever had a tail and Katsuki will want to be totally ready for a full-on death match before he lets Midoriya go anywhere too populated."

The Prince puffed out his cheeks and nodded; if his near-death experience the first time meeting Bakugo was anything to go off of, the blonde took his job as a royal guard extremely seriously. Despite still being a little annoyed over the whole incident, Todoroki was grateful that Midoriya had someone so dedicated to his wellbeing.

"Alright, Kirishima… let's get going. Father will be back from his trip to the outskirt posts any day now and I have to have learned that new fighting technique in addition to secretly helping you learn to read more advanced documents."

"Right!"

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Kacchan?" Midoriya questioned with worry seeping into his voice. "I mean… We still don't know—"

"It'll be fucking fine, Deku." He snapped back.

Midoriya grumbled to himself but otherwise stayed quiet, watching hesitantly as Bakugo heaved himself up onto a bluff. After not being able to find anything remotely insightful for the process of 'sprouting legs' in the admittedly limited Yuuei library, they —rather Bakugo— had decided that he'd simply go and see what happened for himself.

"Why are we doing this when Shoto and Kirishima aren't around? They'd be able to tell us if this part of the beach is frequented by other humans!" Midoriya whispered as he popped his head up out of the water to see how Bakugo was fairing.

The blonde snorted and laid on his back, shimmying until just the tip of his tail remained in the water. "Because dipshit, we don't know how bad this is going to hurt and if we did it in front of them and acted like little bitches then they'd never want us doing it again. Besides, I'll fuck up any human that tries to kill us."

If he wasn't so worried about what could go wrong, Midoriya probably would have laughed at how silly his best friend looked as he semi-flopped around to get to a dryer part of the rock. He pulled himself up just enough to keep an eye on the blonde, resting his chin and arms on the edge as he half-suspended in the water.

"Well, anything so far?" he questioned after several long minutes.

Bakugo sat up and rubbed his partially dry scales, squinting to see in the dim moonlight. "It doesn't hurt… Feels kind of like everything is being pulled tight, actually."

Midoriya's curiosity got the better of him and he clawed his way up just as tad bit further, moving like a seal over to Bakugo so that he could take a look for himself. "Oh wow! Kacchan, look! Look at your fin and your scales!"

The blonde almost bent in two in order to get close enough to the end of his tail to see what Midoriya was going on about, finding the once-proud red projection looking almost shriveled. It was slowly but surely scrunching upward, getting closer and closer to the junction where his tail started.

"That's the most disturbing thing I think I've ever seen…" Bakugo mumbled, his eyes wide.

"You're sure that doesn't hurt?"

"Nah, it just fucking itches like crazy at this point." He assured, staring some at the way the definition of each glittering red scale began to fade. His tale appeared to be rapidly losing its color entirely and smoothing over, looking more and more like skin as it dried.

Bakugo ran his fingers over the fading pattern with amazement, certain that he was able to see the start of two legs forming beneath the changing membrane. "How the fuck is this happening?"

Midoriya almost had his nose pressed to Bakugo's lower body, desperately trying to figure out the exact same thing. "I don't know… This… This is amazing though, Kacchan! Can you move the sections independently yet?"

The blonde gulped slightly; he wasn't sure he was entirely ready to see the previously singular 'limb' shifting out of sync. It wasn't like he could say that though; Deku would never let him live it down if he chickened out after insisting that they try this before asking Todoroki if he had any documents in the likely massive Endeavor Library.

"Err… Give me a sec; It's not like I've done this before, Deku."

Bakugo leaned back again and supported his upper body on his elbows, tensing his stomach to try and force the separating halves to move independently of the other. Several failed attempts later, one part shifted up while the other went down.

"Fuck!" Bakugo shrieked, startled. "That felt so fucking weird!"

Midoriya had yipped almost equally as loudly from the sudden outburst, nearly tumbling off the edge of the bluff. He recovered after a moment but puffed out his cheeks slightly with annoyance. "You scared me, Kacchan! I thought something was really wrong!"

"AH? Are you kidding me, Deku? Something is fucking wrong; I'm a fucking Mer who's growing fucking legs!" Bakugo snapped in response. He continued wiggling the splitting appendage, however, morbidly fascinated by how the crease that had formed was rapidly dipping in from both sides.

It wouldn't be long before the halves split entirely as his scales were all but gone by that point, the beautiful slivers reduced to faint etches on otherwise human-looking skin. Bakugo could see that his fin had reshaped as it had shrunken as well with what he believed were toes sprouting out.

"Well…" he murmured, suppressing the urge to gulp as the transformation seemed to finally end. "I wasn't expecting that…"

"Wasn't expecting—Oh my God what is that?" Midoriya squeaked with wide, panicked eyes. Both he and Bakugo were staring at a very odd-looking… thing… settled right between the blondes newly formed legs.

"How the fuck should I know? Didn't that two-colored bastard ever say anything about… about this? Wait, shit, it's in roughly the same spot as Merfolks slits, right? So maybe—"

Midoriya was quick to cover his immediately reddened face, squeaking in embarrassment. The action caused Bakugo to snort in amused laughter, chiding his best friend. "What's the matter Deku? Don't you want to know what you're getting into with that dipshit human?"

"Kaaaaccchaaan!" The smaller Mer whined in exasperation. "You're so unreserved! We don't even know if that's what _that_ is for!"

"Tsk, well, whatever it's for I bet mine is fucking awesome like everything else about me. Let's get out of here though… your voice is louder than a damn Siren when you're flustered."

Midoriya kept his face covered as he twisted and belly-flopped back to the dark water below, still steaming even though he was incredibly curious to let his own tail dry. He couldn't wait to test it out with Shoto.

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**:) Thanks for reading the update! Leave me a comment and check out my other stories if you want more! This one is probably the least angsty *chuckles evilly... SO FAR...* **


	11. Chapter 11

***Present Mic Voice: Thanks for Tuning in to the Latest Chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

**Also, I'm still on leave from work and honestly, I'm considering quitting or asking for an actual leave rather than just being sick AF from an antibiotic-resistant sinus infection... Like someone in my store got COVID-19 so I'm not sure I should be working when I'm immunocompromised and my grandma is 93... I don't know? I'd hate to lose my job...**

**Anyway, follow me on Twitter for some exciting snippets to stories I'll eventually get around to posting! I'm Agirl2223 on there! **

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 11

Todoroki and Kirishima waded around in the water as they waited for their prospective partners to show up, attempting to cool off in the scorching heat. The Prince moved far slower than his best friend, however, as his ribs were still heavily injured from his last sparring session with his father.

"There is no need to worry for me, Eijiro…" Todoroki stated as he relaxed back some in the clear shallows. "I'm fine."

The redhead scrunched up his nose. Somehow Todoroki always seemed to know when he was being stared at even if the person was completely out of his line of sight. This time he hadn't even mentioned the nasty looking bruises and the prince knew what he was thinking. "I just feel bad though, Shoto… I was supposed to be helping you learn that stuff before your dad got back and he still knocked you around like a rag doll."

"My father is over half a foot taller than I am and is two-hundred and sixty pounds of muscle… I doubt there is any fighting technique that will allow me to best him in combat with my current stature." Todoroki sighed, though he knew he'd get an earful from Izuku as well; they both were so concerned with other people's wellbeing.

Bakugo, on the other hand, would probably sneer at him. From what Midoriya had mentioned, the blonde was exceptional at combat and always had been… The only reason he was beaten by Midoriya in sparing matches was that the smaller Mer had learned how to fight the hard way and had the scars to prove it, unlike Bakugo with his barely marred skin.

That thought made him smile, however. His sweet Izuku was all torn up from constantly intervening just for the sake of helping others; he was so kind and generous… he was the first person to show Todoroki what love could feel like.

"Shoto!"

The prince's smile widened at the sound of Midoriya's distorted, worried whistling from beneath the gentle waves. He righted himself and waited for the Mer to surface, fully prepared to stop the anxious mumbling that would no doubt pour out of him with a kiss.

"What happ—mph?" Midoriya started, falling prey to Todoroki immediately grabbing his cheeks and capturing his lips with his own.

"Just training…" the prince breathed as he temporarily pulled back. "Nothing a kiss and a few hours with you can't fix."

~0.o.0~

Bakugo rolled his eyes and swam past Todoroki and Midoriya as quickly as possible to where Kirishima was attempting very awkward loops in the water, finding their 'love-talk' ridiculous. "Tsk… You'd better not ever expect me to say some dumb shit like that to you."

Kirishima laughed and reached out, grabbing the blonde's broad shoulders so that he could pull them together. "Don't worry, I can talk like that for both of us!"

Had anyone else said something like that, Bakugo would have probably gagged and told them that he'd kill them if they tried. Though he'd never admit it to absolutely anyone, maybe it wouldn't be too awful to hear Kirishima coo over him like that… possibly.

"Yeah, yeah…" he settled on instead, tossing his head to hide the blush starting on his cheeks. "Do whatever you want on your own time, Eijiro; today, we're going to put in some work."

"Oh? What kind of manly task are you going to have me practice today?"

Bakugo had to actually bit the inside of his lip, eyebrows furrowing as a vein throbbed in his temple. "Not you, damn it. Me… You're going to be the teacher today, dumbass; We're going up on the shore."

Kirishima's eyes widened to comical levels at the declaration, head snapping in the direction of the sandy beach. "Wh-what? Already?"

"Tsk, yeah. I already did a preliminary test and it wasn't awful… Plus, Deku is a needy little squishy fish that is bound to get impatient and ask hell-spawn over there to take him somewhere. I've got to be ready to protect his dopy tail."

"Uh… well…" The redhead stumbled, his cheeks quickly flaming bright while he kept his eyes really anywhere other than the Mer in front of him. "I didn't bring… er… I don't suppose you grow pants when your legs form, do you?"

"AH? What the hell are pants?" Bakugo snorted, completely oblivious to what Kirishima was getting at.

The redhead's face grew hotter while he tugged on the boxers he was wearing. "You know, clothes? Stuff humans wear to cover… private areas?"

Bakugo blinked for a moment and then grew a wide, toothy smirk, eyes lighting up in amused victory. "Oi Deku!" He shouted over his shoulder. "That floppy thing between my legs is the equivalent of Merfolks slits! I fucking told you!"

He snickered even more when he heard an embarrassed squeal off in the distance, returning his attention to Kirishima without the barest hint of modesty. His courting partner looked absolutely mortified and yet equally impressed by his brashness, gawking at him.

"Tsk, what? You've got one too, don't you?" Bakugo questioned, quirking a daring eyebrow.

Kirishima croaked out a nervous squeak and somewhat nodded. "Well, yeah…"

"Then what's the big deal? Besides, I've seen you and Half-and-Half put something on over the 'clothes' or whatever you where in the water; I'll just put those on if you're so shy about seeing me in all my glory… Now come on, this shit takes time to happen."

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Kirishima watched in amazement as two legs emerged out of the previously strong red tail, finding the process fascinating even though he'd draped his pants over the more explicit parts of his partner's body. "Woah… so that's what happens… Mom never told me it looked so cool!"

"Tsk, yeah I know I'm awesome, now show me how to put this weird-ass looking contraption on," Bakugo responded proudly, eyeing the pants like it was something completely useless and beneath him.

"Uh, you just… put your feet through those two holes and pull up until the top is over your hips…"

The blonde nodded and awkwardly leaned forward, struggling to get his knees to bend properly so that he could reach. It took him a good several minutes with Kirishima absolutely refusing to look back until they were solidly on, though he wouldn't have asked for help on such a simple task anyway.

"Alright, now what?" he questioned, feeling only slightly unsure of himself for the next part. It was only Kirishima's hopeful smile that calmed him enough to not snap in anger at his own lack of knowledge; he'd have already been seething if anyone else saw him at such a total loss.

"Er, well, I guess I can pick you up and see if you can stand at all?" the redhead offered as he reached out and pulled one of Bakugo's arms over his shoulders. Just as he'd expected, the Mer was pretty well solid muscle and not at all light when he finally got enough leverage to begin lifting.

The process was awkward even before they made it to a simple standing position as the blonde had no idea how to angle his body in its new form. His ankles bowed as he tried to get them to stabilize beneath him, knees now deciding to bend when they'd just about refused during the 'pants' phase of the training.

"Argh! What the fucking fuck is this?" Bakugo huffed. He'd have hit the ground a good several times already if Kirishima hadn't been physically strong in his own right—every move he made seemed to almost make them topple in one direction or another and he could tell the redhead was supporting the majority of his weight.

Kirishima couldn't help but laugh heartily at the blondes annoyance. It took literal years for humans to learn how to do this and he could tell that Bakugo wouldn't want anything less than figuring it out in the next hour or so. "Bro, it's not easy to get your feet coordinated… I still trip over mine sometimes and I've had them since birth!"

Bakugo's eye twitched and he switched positions, pulling himself directly in front of Kirishima and wrapping both arms around his neck so that their chests were together. He could feel the heat of the boy's cheek on his own as he used his upper body to hoist himself up higher, leaning into him until he'd completely stabilized. "You'd better not say one damned word about this to Deku or that douche Prince, you hear me?"

Kirishima slunk his arms around Bakugo's strong core and locked them together while he kissed the boy's tanned shoulder sweetly. "Wouldn't dream of it!"

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Midoriya kept side-glancing at Bakugo on their swim back to Yuuei. The boy's arms were littered with small scrapes and bruises and though his tails color hid most of the damage, he could tell that there were some wounds around where his knees would have been.

"So…" he started coolly, "how'd it go?"

Bakugo licked his teeth and cocked his jaw, keeping his proud eyes forward while his cheeks dusted red from embarrassment. "Isn't that fucking hard."

"Oh, yeah? Because it looks like you got into a fight with a pod of pufferfish."

The blonde's face looked so twisted, caught somewhere between a scowl at the smug tone of Midoriya's voice and proud adoration for his courting partners' patience dealing with his many mishaps during the few hours they'd worked. "Laugh all you want, Deku; I can't wait to see how busted up you are when that precious prince of yours tries teaching you how to walk."

"I doubt it will be nearly as difficult," Midoriya chuckled. "You and Eijiro are the same size, remember? He probably had to work a lot harder to keep you upright than Shoto will have to with me! Plus, Shoto already said he'd carry me if I didn't get it right away..."

"Only you could think up some bullshit reason where being fish-bait size is a good thing, Deku."

The smaller Mer laughed again and twirled some in the water, staring up at the sun filtering through the gentle waves longingly. "How long until you get walking down, then? A couple of months or—"

"Tsk, bite your stupid tongue, Deku. By the time we were ready to head back today, I'd already managed to walk without much assistance so I just have to get in the habit. I'm going to have this shit learned by the end of our next meet up with them."

"What?" Midoriya nearly shrieked, excitement exploding out of him. He'd thought based on the pitiful state of Bakugo's limbs that the 'training' had been fairly disastrous, but he couldn't say he was all that surprised to be wrong—the blonde had always been good at EVERYTHING he tried and his determination to learn quickly was nothing to scoff at. "Really? That soon?"

"Of course, Deku. It's my job to protect you and I can't do that unless I'm as deadly on land as I am in the water; since I know you won't be able to stop yourself from doing something stupid I've got to be ready as soon as possible to step in if something goes wrong."

Bakugo expected some quip in return, or at least an overly enthusiastic laugh, but instead, he was met with another smug grin, this one even more prominent than the last one. "What? What the hell is that look for, huh?"

"Oh, nothing… It's just normally you tell me you're going to do X, Y, and Z for **_when _**something goes wrong for me and Shoto and this time you said **_if_**_." _

Bakugo sputtered as he attempted to come up with an excuse or retort, finding he couldn't really think of anything. "J-just—fuck you, Deku!"

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**I know, I know... Much shorter than my usual chapters for this work (by about 500-ish words...) but this seemed like a logical break *Sweat-drops***

**Please leave me a comment! I try to respond to all of them!**


	12. Chapter 12

***Apologies for the long wait for an update... Working is hard lol Thank you for your continued support!**

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Learn To Breathe

Chapter 12

Midoriya leaned into Todoroki as they sat on the sandy shore, careful to keep his tale at least partially submerged to avoid Bakugo's wrath. Just as the blonde had said he would, he'd managed to become proficient at walking by the end of their second 'training session' but he was by no means ready for a confrontation… apparently, he had to learn how to do something called 'running' first.

"Where are you going to take me once I learn how to walk?" Midoriya hummed dreamily, trying to imagine the world above his own.

Todoroki sighed as he thought, wracking his brain to try and come up with an exciting yet safe place to show his boyfriend. "Well, if it was just you and I, I could take you to the market or a festival… but Bakugo has red eyes and would stand out almost immediately."

Midoriya, however, giggled at the statement and nuzzled his nose into Todoroki's shoulder. "I asked Kacchan about that and he's on board with the blindfolding idea; he says he doesn't need to see to fight."

The human prince snorted in amusement as well, so clearly able to see the temperamental Mer saying something so ridiculous with complete confidence in it working out anyway. He turned his attention to where Bakugo and Kirishima were practicing, wondering just how feasible this terrible plan was.

"He's doing really well, isn't he?" Midoriya questioned as he too watched Bakugo attempt to speed up without toppling over. "I mean, I've never seen you or Kirishima do that 'running' thing, but he's moving faster than you all usually do."

"He is," Todoroki confirmed, "but I think you'll both be surprised by the different affect air and water have on your movements. For instance, a human running is nowhere near as fast a Mer swimming… but swinging a weapon will happen much more quickly on land than it will in the water."

"Oh?" Midoriya hummed with intrigue, returning his focus solely to Todoroki.

~0.0~

"Fucking hell!" Bakugo snorted in disbelief as some bitch called 'gravity' caused him to slam face-first into the coarse sand once again. "This shit is so stupid; how the hell did you fucks even learn this to begin with?"

Kirishima kept the intense urge to laugh to himself, knowing that Bakugo was already getting close to having a mini-meltdown for the third time that day. "I mean, at least you guys won't die just from not knowing how to walk and run, right? If a human goes into the water and can't swim, they drown bro."

The blonde rolled his eyes but grunted in acknowledgment; as far as danger went, mobility on land wasn't especially worrisome so long as true humans weren't around to see him struggling. He twisted to his back and stretched out though, needing a moment to let the ache in his thoroughly bruised limbs subside before he got back up.

His eyes wandered to Kirishima as they usually did, admiring the gentle edges of his jaw when the wind would rustle his red hair. He couldn't help but notice the various bruises on his skin though… They stood out against his sun-kissed glow and made rocks form in the blonde's stomach.

"Does that asshole even try to protect you?" he breathed, glowering at the discoloration with disapproval. "You're his best friend or some shit, right?"

Kirishima peered down at the area's Bakugo's eyes were wandering over and sighed, reaching out to take one of the blondes' hands into his own. "He tries, Katsuki… really he does. It's not the same here as it is where you come from, especially in the royal palace. Shoto has to be careful with how frequently he steps in to stop other people from harassing me—if his father even suspected that he considered me something more than a… well, I probably wouldn't live long enough to worry about what I'd suffer through."

Bakugo's blood ran cold at the thought of Kirishima being murdered and he tightened his fingers around his partners. "I won't let that happen."

"It's not like you could stop it, Katsuki…" The redhead hummed in resignation. "It will be years before Shoto and Deku are of age to rule their kingdoms and—"

"You could come to Yuuei with me; Our current ruler, All Might, he wouldn't hesitate to let you stay once he's told what you've been through."

Kirishima pulled the blondes' hand up and kissed his knuckles sweetly, appreciating the offer even if it made less sense than taking his chances as a servant in the Endeavor palace. "I'm not a Mer, Katsu… I can't take care of myself on land much less in the ocean and I wouldn't let you make your life harder by trying to compensate for my inability to fend for myself."

Bakugo merely shook his head in total disagreement. "Yuuei isn't like open waters, dipshit. Our borders are protected from outside dangers like predators so you wouldn't be attacked unless you're an idiot like Deku that goes swimming on his own and we've got a market just like you say humans do so you wouldn't have to try to catch fish or anything."

"And what would I do there, hm?" Kirishima chuckled with a hint of bitterness. "If I can't hunt to get food, can't fight to protect myself or others, and don't have any trade skills on land much less in Yuuei, then what would I spend my days doing?"

The blonde thought hard for a moment, determined to prove to Eijiro that he could belong to Yuuei if it was something that he wanted. Truth be told, Bakugo would feel a considerable amount of relief if he knew that his partner wasn't in perpetual danger just for being alive. "How about teaching? You're good at that."

Kirishima cocked an eyebrow at the suggestion and felt his pessimism ease some. "Teaching?" he laughed, trying to imagine dealing with mini-Bakugo's and mini-Midoriya's every day in a classroom setting. "What in this world could I possibly teach a Mer that stays deep in the ocean?"

"Land shit, of course!" Bakugo grunted. "When those two idiots over there finally become Kings, they're going to try and bring our species together again, right? Well, it's been a long fucking time since a Mer other than Deku and I have tried to go on land and we honestly don't know anything about what goes on up here. You'd be Yuuei's sole expert on humans."

The redhead threw his head back and laughed fully, a mixture of amusement and pride rising in his shaking chest. He'd certainly never considered himself an expert on anything, even when Todoroki had needed his knowledge of Mer language. Still, the idea that maybe, just maybe, Bakugo could be right made his heart soar with hope.

"Alright, Katsu…" he conceded once he calmed some, leaning over the blonde to kiss him sweetly. "If you really think I can do it, then I'll come and live with you at Yuuei when Shoto and Izuku have changed our worlds... But I can't leave Shoto before that; He may seem like he's good on his own, but I think he needs me."

"Tsk, you'd fucking better…" Bakugo hummed in satisfaction. "I've got to show you off to all those extra's Deku makes me hang out with."

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"Are you ready, Izuku?" Todoroki questioned almost nervously, his back turned while he waited for his boyfriend to finish transforming and slip on the clothes he'd brought for him to wear.

Midoriya, in turn, giggled and somewhat tumbled around as he tried his best to slip on the uncooperative attire, finding it incredibly fun despite how hard it was. "Kacchan was right! These things are a nightmare… You really put this stuff on every day?"

The human Prince turned and peaked to see if Midoriya was at least semi-decent. He was in the middle of yanking a shirt down over his head while trying to stay sitting, completely unsure of how to maneuver his lower body now that it had split in two.

"Here…" he offered, moving to kneel beside him. "You put one arm through at a time like this."

Midoriya grinned widely when Todoroki's simple assistance hastened the tedious process and he leaned up for a kiss, wrapping his arms around the larger boy tightly so that he could be pulled up. He squeaked when he was deadlifted from the ground, finding the sensation so different than it had been when Todoroki would hold him in the water.

"Want to try and stand?"

Midoriya nodded fervently with excitement, barely able to contain himself as he was maneuvered onto the flattest part of the area of the beach they'd decided to train at. Just as he'd told Bakugo, Todoroki was plenty strong enough to hold up his smaller frame without too much effort, effectively letting him wobble as much as he needed to without the threat of tumbling to the ground.

"This feels so weird!" he exclaimed, wiggling his toes as they pressed down into the sand. "I thought it was hard to keep my balance when I was just sitting but this is way worse! You really do combat like this?"

Todoroki chuckled and nodded, enjoying the way Midoriya would lean into him every few moments to re-center himself before attempting to hold his own weight again. "Human sword-play is very different than what Mer's use; but I'm hoping that you won't ever have to see that in person."

"I don't know…" Midoriya stated thoughtfully, gazing up at Todoroki with awe. "I think I'd really enjoy seeing you train; you already move so gracefully whether you're in the water or not—I bet it's something special when you fight."

The elder blushed heavily at the comment but shook his head, twisting Midoriya around until they were face to face. "I've got something far better to show you…" He lifted his partner higher until his toes just barely touched the ground, wrapping his arms around his torso firmly. "Put your feet on top of mine."

"What are we doing?" Midoriya asked, though he did as instructed and curiously peered up at Todoroki while he clasped his hands around the boy's neck. The prince simply smiled at him though and pecked at his lips before he began swaying slightly, gently lifting each foot off of the ground and shifting it until they were swirling in a circular pattern.

"We're having our first dance, Izuku…" Todoroki explained lovingly, pressing their foreheads together as he peered into Midoriya's eyes. "It's one of the ways my people signify their commitment and affection for one another."

It was Midoriya's turn to blush heavily. Though the movements were different, many creatures of the sea behaved similarly, twirling around each other in delicate patterns as the world faded away around them; he couldn't believe he was getting to experience something so innocently intimate with the person he cared for most.

"I'm so in love with you…" he whispered, losing himself in Todoroki's mismatched eyes. "I want to be yours forever."

"Not nearly as much as I'm in love with you." The prince responded, equally as mesmerized. "And one day, I promise to make you the happiest Mer in the world."

Midoriya swallowed some and bit his lip, tilting his head as he stared up at the young man that he truly intended to spend the rest of his life with. "Would you be willing… in the future, it doesn't have to be now, but… I mean I know it's different from what humans do… It's just that I…"

"What is it, Izuku?" Todoroki questioned, his heart skipping a beat from how nervous yet hopeful Midoriya looked as he stumbled over his words. "Tell me what you want and it's yours."

The younger prince swallowed thickly and turned his eyes to Shoto's fair neck, his canines seeming to glisten as he opened his mouth to speak once more. "Merfolk… We mate for life; it's more than just a promise to us." He explained slowly. "When we chose our partner and are intimate the first time… we uh… m-mark each other…"

"Mark?" Todoroki repeated, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he stopped swaying.

"A bite on the neck…" Midoriya explained, thumbing the area he so badly wanted to latch on to. "It binds us to one another permanently… We can only ever have one true mate and through that connection, we can feel everything they feel; our life becomes theirs and vice versa."

Todoroki lost his breath as the Mer spoke, almost unable to comprehend the depth of what being together meant for one of his kind. "But I'm a human…" he breathed shakily. "Can we even—is it possible for us to do this?"

"I don't know…" Midoriya admitted sadly. "B-but if there's even a chance that I could have that with you, I want to try. But I know how big of a step it is! A commitment like this…"

His voice trailed off as his head dropped low with anxiety and sadness. It wasn't that he was concerned about it not working; he'd be just as content living his life with Todoroki in the way humans did without mating marks. What worried him was that Shoto may not want to try it because it **_could_** work.

Midoriya saw Todoroki swallow and open his mouth to respond, quickly forcing his voice to work again so that he could make sure that the teen understood the gravity of what he'd be agreeing to. "If it works, there isn't any going back, Shoto. The bond goes so deep that if it's broken for any reason, like if one of the two dies, the other soon follows. We've only known each other for a couple of years at this point and even though I'm sure that you're who I want to belong to I don't want you to feel like you have to—"

"Yes." Todoroki interrupted, his voice confident despite how hushed it was.

"But Shoto—"

"It doesn't matter whether it works or not, Izuku." The elder Prince assured as he pulled his love impossibly close. "I've belonged to you since the moment you first touched your forehead to mine; the only thing that will change is that what we already feel will finally be official."

"Sh-Shoto…" Midoriya whimpered, unable to express just how relieved he was to hear those words. Everything he'd been dreaming about was going to come true.

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**:) Thank you for reading! Leave me a comment if you want!**


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